The Darkness
by Miveen
Summary: Tale of Yeesha and her path to becoming The Grower. Will have spoilers for all games and books except for Revelation. FINISHED!
1. Prologue and 1 of 1

**Prologue**

_These D'ni people who are now gone came thousands of years ago to the shelter of the_ _cavern to return to leastness._ _They found solace in their smallness in the dark, and so did I. But light is powerful in the darkness..._

_I was seduced while in D'ni. My humble darkness lasted only a short time before I began to bask in what I could do, what I could write. My gift, my path, the knowledge of my father and the dreams of my mother pierced a hole in the darkness, in the weakness, I was aware of my power and I was proud. Whole worlds at my fingertips..._

_It was the same with the D'ni. The same cycle. Light opens the darkness. It takes, it uses, and it keeps. The D'ni found power in these books..._

I found power in these books...

I am Yeesha. We have met before, back in the Cleft at Tomahna. Things were so different then- you had yet to see what the D'ni were. You had only seen but a glimpse, now you have seen all. You have followed the path, you have sought the journey. You have done it all and yet...yet there is one thing that you still remain unknowing about.

Me...

_I am Yeesha. My parents brought me to this place. _

And now I have brought you. Together we sit, here, in K'veer overlooking the once great city of the D'ni. I can see the questions on your face...in your eyes. I know what you wish to know and I will tell you.

But stories must begin at the beginning. My beginning is not unlike my father's in that it starts at the Cleft.

_The Cleft, the fissure in the desert, the wound in the earth, the path of the things beneath the surface. It was there I sought to find my purpose. It was from there I came to know the dead underground city of D'ni._

Yet still that is not the beginning...my beginning starts on the first time my parents took me to the Cleft on what seems a day so long ago only the stars remember it.

Part 1-**The Desert **

_Within the great volcano's shadow, the desert floor was fractured. There, in a crack some eighty feet by fifteen, the darkness was intense. Book of Atrus_

Before this crack lay the desert, a bright mass of hot sand which stretched for miles beneath the scorching sun. And behind it rose a volcano, the steam issuing from it showing up faintly in the setting sun. There was little to see in this location, only the volcano and small cleft and yet there was no one to even see those.

A green lizard, stretched out, basking itself in one of the last few rays of the sun cocked its head to one side, listening. Suddenly a shower of small rocks rained down from above causing it to scamper off. Again there came a shower of rocks and dust and a male voice called out,

"Be careful, the ground is loose here."

Jumping down from an overhanging ledge, the man set a bag down on the ground and looked about him. For a moment, as he stared ahead at where the cleft lay highlighted by the sun, he seemed to be lost in a word all his own, a faint smile flickering at the edges of his mouth. Yet the longer he looked, the more the faint smile turned into a frown.

_Memories are so often painful and wonderful at the same time, _thought Atrus.

Even as he looked back up to check and see how his wife and daughter's progress was coming, he could almost see the figure of his father striding down as he had the first time Atrus saw him. That was the beginning of it all, everything which had finally lead him back here again.

Reaching out a hand to help his wife down, Atrus caught a knowing look in her eyes. Squeezing his hand, Catherine jumped lightly to earth.

"Thank you, my love," she said simply but he knew there was more behind what she was saying. Glancing up, Catherine called to the slight figure still making its way down the steep surface.

"How are you doing, Yeesha?"

"I'm fine!"

Smiling, Atrus watched as his daughter leapt nimbly from rock ledge to ledge, occasionally walking sideways, one hand stretched behind her for balance. How often he thought that Yeesha had to be part Ma'laf, a small furry creature which was native to Tomahna and could frequently be seen running all over the rocky hills. Watching Yeesha take an especially far leap though, Atrus felt himself grimace.

Catherine laughed softly beside him.

"Don't worry about her. She's used to running all over Tomahna."

"I know. I just can't help thinking that she could be a _little_ more careful."

"She's fine."

Sighing, Atrus let the conversation go. Catherine was more lax with what she allowed Yeesha to do then he was. Perhaps it was because Catherine herself had run wild over Riven when she was little. Even still, Atrus could see no reason to allow Yeesha to do something as dangerous as jumping all over rock cliffs. But to argue with Catherine would get him nowhere.

_That woman is just too stubborn._

"Yes I am," said Catherine taking his hand in her own.

With a final leap, Yeesha landed as lightly as her mother on the ground beside them. Thinking back over his own heavy landing, Atrus wondered if a bit more rock-climbing when he was younger would have been good.

"Father, are you ready?" asked Yeesha holding up his bag and interrupting his thoughts.

Atrus accepted it and the three of them turned and began to head toward the gash in the earth.

There it was, just the way it had been when he left it years ago. Only now the sands had pushed closer and with no one to clean it away, had consumed the stone wall that used to surround the edges.

He was the first one down the ladder- he hadn't wanted to be but Catherine insisted. He could see the thoughts behind her eyes, 'It will be good for you.' Anna's death had been hard on him, and it took him a long time to get over it, yet Catherine didn't believe that he _was _over it. Along with other things...

But as he stood on the wooden slat bridge and looked from one edge of the cleft to the other, Atrus almost found himself agreeing with her. And then, as he slowly made his way into the sleeping chamber and stared at what was his old bed, he could hear Anna's voice inside his head causing his throat to constrict.

_What do you see, Atrus?_

A small rock shelf at the back of the room, a now worn down, woven quilt and another blanket covered in stars.

_I see...I see..._

"Atrus?"

"In here, Catherine," he called back, gulping.

Tears were pricking at the corner of his eyes. Pulling off his D'ni glasses he wiped them away then turned to face his wife.

"Where's Yeesha?"

"She's off exploring. The look on her face as she stepped down here...there is something wonderful about this place, Atrus."

"I know. There was only one other place that ever came close to feeling like this does- and she helped create it," replied Atrus.

Nodding, Catherine ran a hand over one of the stone shelves.

"I don't think that it will ever be possible to forget that place," she said softly. "Or the people."

"And we shouldn't, yet to live in the past is to die in the present."

This won him the smile he was looking for. Atrus knew how much Catherine said that he overused that phrase and maybe he did. But sometimes- without it- he believed that he would have gone mad from grief and confusion.

Reaching out, Atrus pulled Catherine to him and kissed the top of her head.

_What do you see, Atrus?_ he heard the familiar voice ask again.

_I see my old home. I see love, Grandmother._


	2. Chapter 1, 2 to 4

About the Ma'laf from the last part, even though Tomahna is part of Earth it doesn't mean that Atrus doesn't have a D'ni name for a creature that is known as something else by us! Although it is part of my own idea- not part of the canon.

Also, I think I should point out that this story is pre-Revelation (by the time I finished writing it, Revelation still hadn't come out.) So if there is anything that doesn't quite fit- that is the reason. My next novella will be Revelation correct but this one I just won't be editing to make it fit.

Any questions about why or how does something work, feel free to ask!

Miveen

--

Standing in the shadows outside the door, Yeesha watched as her parents stood in each other's arms. They both seemed so happy and yet she knew what haunted them- haunted them still. Maybe it was part of the reason that they had taken her here, to help get over the hurt.

Myst...the Age the two of them once escaped to trying to get away from her grandfather, Gehn. Anna had helped Katran in writing it and then lived there with them till her death. Atrus thought then that maybe he and his family had found peace, but trouble followed them there in the form of her two brothers, Sirrus and Achenar. Destroying the Myst Age along with so many others and hurting more then just the people on those Ages. Yeesha knew that the turmoil her parents had faced almost undid them.

Slipping silently away, Yeesha wandered about until she reached the work room. Stopping and sitting on a battered looking wooden chair, she pulled out a firemarble which she had brought along. Yeesha tapped it until it began to glow then, reaching into her bag, pulled out a tattered leather journal.

The Book of Atrus.

She flipped to the last page and, holding the fire-marble close to the page, started to read the carefully written entry.

_I should have known at once that Myst_ _was not Catherine's. But how was I to know otherwise? I had thought Anna lost. Lost forever._

_And how was I to know that, just as I made my preparations, so the two of them made theirs, pooling their talents- Anna's experience and Catherine's intuitive genius- to craft those seemingly cataclysmic events on Age Five, in such a way that after a time they would reverse themselves, making Catherine's former home, now Gehn's prison, stable once more._

_...and the Myst book?_

_I realized the moment I fell into the fissure that the book would not be destroyed as I had planned. It continued falling into that starry expanse, of which I had only a fleeting glimpse. I have tried to speculate where it might have landed, but I must admit that such conjecture is futile. Still, questions about whose hands might one day hold my Myst book are unsettling to me. I know my apprehensions might never be allayed, and so I close, realizing that perhaps the ending has not yet been written. Book of Atrus_

And indeed the ending hadn't been written. Instead the book had fallen to earth again where the Stranger found it. But still- even after all had seemed to be fixed and reconciled- the hurt that her brothers had given Atrus and Katran remained. Tied to the Myst Age forever.

Closing the journal and placing it back in her bag, Yeesha stared ahead of her into the light splotched darkness.

If only there was some way that she could help them get over their pain. Someway to aid them in their journey to find healing. But there wasn't...only an eighteen year old's wish.

"There you are, Yeesha," said her father stepping into the room.

Glancing over at him, she smiled faintly- trying to put on a good show for his sake.

"What do you think about the Cleft?" he asked sitting down on another chair beside her.

"I love it here. It's so peaceful..."

"It is, isn't it?" Atrus answered looking about himself as if seeing it for the first time.

_And it is the first time in years._

"How could you stand to be away from it so long?" Yeesha asked marveling.

"I don't know. I suppose...I suppose this place it really is more of a way that you refresh yourself. It gives you the strength to return and finish what you need to do."

"And you need that now?"

"Yes- I need it now. But I also wanted it to be available for you...for one day you may find that you need the Cleft to help you face what is coming."

Rolling the firemarble around in her hand, Yeesha wondered what it would be that she would need the strength for. But her question was unanswered and suddenly Atrus stood up and asked her if she wanted to see Keta's grave. She was just about to follow him when Katran came in.

"Oh no you two don't. It's late now- there will be plenty of time to see flowers in the morning."

"May we sleep out under the stars, Father?" asked Yeesha spinning around, excited by the prospect.

Her father seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if recalling a long forgotten memory, before answering normally -

"Not tonight, Yeesha. It's not easy to wake up with the sun flashing blindingly in your eyes."

Yeesha knew it was an excuse for something but decided not to push the matter. He didn't say that she _couldn't ever_ sleep out under the stars while they were here. And _she _certainly didn't have the weak D'ni eyes like he did.

Sleeping arrangements were finally settled on; Atrus and Katran sleeping on the carved stone ledge as a bed and Yeesha sleeping on the ground. Pulling her blanket up about her ears, Yeesha began to drift off listening to the sound of her parents' breathing.

_Father is right about this place,_ she thought just before sleep claimed her. _The Cleft does refresh you..._

_--_

That morning, Atrus woke up before the sun had risen. Laying there in the dark, his arm loosely over Catherine's waist, he let his thoughts wander at will. At last, after a particularly fond memory of an orange kitten- dead now for many years- Atrus slowly moved his arm from around Catherine and slipped out from under the blankets. Grabbing his D'ni glasses and making sure that Yeesha wasn't disturbed when he stepped over her, he wandered out into the cleft. Atrus continued to wander aimlessly about, soaking in the memories, until he reached a patch of blue flowers.

_Flowers. Blue flowers. Thousands of tiny, delicate blue flowers with tiny, starlike petals and velvet dark stamen. Book of Atrus_

There were more of them now then when he was little and they had spread from their little patch to covering most of the untended soil where Anna used to have vegetables growing. Only a few of those vegetables continued to grow- wild and scraggly- most likely the tenacious seeds of some past plant once carefully tapped down into the soil by Anna.

Bending down, Atrus picked one of the small, fragile flowers. He was never certain why Anna had chosen these flowers to plant over Keta's grave. He knew that they had been the favorite flowers of Anna's father, but why she would put them over Keta's grave? Could it have been that she knew Keta would have liked these flowers too? Or could it have been that Keta somehow reminded Anna of her father? Anna could often see things about people that others missed; maybe she saw something similar in Keta.

_Something in that weary, sick face when she delivered me._

Atrus brushed the flower's petals with the tip of his finger. These flowers were a part of more then Keta's and Anna's life. They were also a part of Catherine's.

_How did you know?_

_Know? Know what? Book of Atrus_

He had seen them also on Catherine's dream age; that Age where he had first realized he was in love with her. That special Age of Catherine's...he should never have been surprised of anything there and yet, he couldn't help it. He had still been surprised that she could write!

And now Catherine was his wife and had helped him write so many more ages. Someday they even hoped that Yeesha would learn the Art but Atrus was content to wait. Disaster had befallen the time he tried to teach his sons to write.

_I have a second chance though,_ he reasoned with himself. Surely he couldn't be cursed twice over.

Letting the flower fall, Atrus stood up and stretched. The Cleft and the flowers, they were to be part of Yeesha now. All of this, somehow, just like Catherine insisted.

Making his way back to the sleeping chamber, Atrus found both Yeesha and Catherine up and waiting for him. Yeesha's eyes were dancing with mischief and Catherine had a pleased look about her, sort of an 'I told you so.'

"Are you ready for breakfast?" he asked.

--

Katran worked hard to aid Atrus in finding forgiveness. He always felt that there was something he should have done to help his sons. Katran didn't believe that anything could have, but Atrus wouldn't pay attention to her views. She even tried to tell him that Anna went through the same thing with Gehn- still he wouldn't listen. For some reason he seemed to think that it was all a failing on his part and this caused him to believe Anna would have been disappointed in him.

Yet as Katran watched where Atrus and Yeesha sat, bent over a small rock sample they were testing, she knew how proud Anna would really have been. Atrus had become a fine man and adviser for the D'ni people. And he was a wonderful father to Yeesha. He was determined to not make the same mistakes with her as he had with Sirrus and Achenar.

_Anna, can you see him now? Just how you would have wanted him to be._

It took her years to convince Atrus to take a trip with her and Yeesha to the Cleft. A few times she had even threatened to go by herself but that had gotten her nowhere for Atrus knew as well as she did that she didn't know the way. And without Atrus there to show and explain parts of the Cleft, it's meaning and peace would never have been passed onto Yeesha.

Anna had told Katran about the Cleft so many times while they sat on Myst island, watching the two little boys playing in the grass. During this time Katran had come to realize what the Cleft was...an heirloom to be passed down from generation to generation. Anna's father had passed it on to Anna and Anna had tried to pass it to Gehn, but he had refused. And so Anna gave it to Atrus instead, knowing one day he would pass it on to his children. Now- Yeesha would pass it on to her children some day in the future.

Katran chuckled as she watched Atrus and Yeesha argue over the composition of the rock sample.

_Those two are so alike,_ she thought.

"Catherine, could you please come over here and tell me what you think about this sample?"

"No thank you," she answered. "I know what you are trying to do. You two will have to sort this out on your own."

He should just give up. Yeesha knew too much and was probably right; Atrus taught her well. Just not about writing Ages. Waiting...he always said he was waiting. Katran knew he was in some ways afraid of teaching Yeesha the Art, though. He had tried to teach Sirrus and Achenar; those two were only interested in what they could take from the Ages. Yeesha would be different however, Katran knew it.

_I had a dream of you. Book of Atrus_

Their child would have a greater power in her hands then any before. She would change the D'ni's future. If only Atrus would teach her.

Setting her jaw firmly, Katran determined to talk to Atrus about it later. He had done enough waiting.


	3. Chapter 1, 5 to 6

So, this is the end of Part 1 (dont' know why I have it as chapters for the labels.) I hope you all enjoy.- Miveen

--

_It was night. A full moon rested like a shining disk of silver in the center of the blue-black velvet sky. Surrounding it, a billion flickering stars shone down. Book of Ti'ana_

There was only a murmur of noise out on the sands; the faintest sound of the wind moving back and forth. As the stars pulsed and shone overhead, Atrus imagined it was silent enough to hear them.

Two weeks; he and his family had stayed here now for two weeks. Tomorrow it was time that they headed back to Tomahna.Eedrah would be wondering when they would be coming back.

Yet even as he thought about what lay in store for him upon his return, Atrus found himself considering remaining just a little bit longer.

"No," he scolded himself. "We have to go back."

Yeesha would be upset at having to leave. She had grown attached to the place, Atrus could tell. He often saw her just sitting and staring at the small, scraggly, baby tree they had found on the second day they were here. After, she would seem preoccupied and even a little lost but she always returned to the same spot.

Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, Atrus tilted his head to one side, acknowledging her presence, but didn't look over. Catherine bent down beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Yeesha and how she and the Cleft just seem to match."

"Yeesha and the desert match."

Atrus nodded his head twice. Catherine was right, Yeesha and the desert did seem to match. Just watching her as she walked about on the sands, her protective cloak fluttering out behind her, anyone could see she fit in here. More so then he, Atrus, ever had.

Catherine shifted positions agitatedly. Glancing over at her where she now sat cross-legged on the ground, Atrus could see that she seemed disturbed. Catherine obviously wanted to say something but was still forming the words. Content to wait- Atrus returned his gaze to the sky.

Sighing in frustration, Catherine at last spoke.

"Atrus, I think it is time you taught Yeesha how to write."

Echoes of another time and voice floated through his mind. A pair of pale eyes staring into his own with crazed obsession flaring in them, two hands painfully gripping his young shoulders.

_I plan to make you my apprentice, Atrus, and teach you about the books. Would you like that? Book of Atrus_

Pushing away the memory, Atrus stared at his wife. He could see the determination in her eyes; she wanted Yeesha to learn the Art more then anything. And why shouldn't Yeesha? She was old enough or- well- as old as Catherine was when she learned to write. But Atrus and Catherine had both been taught by Gehn, even now his teaching in some ways polluting everything they did. Atrus had struggled long and hard against it until he realized that his father had no control over his life anymore. Still, Atrus feared for his daughter that somehow, something might overcome her and destroy her.

"You don't know what you are asking for," he said.

"Yes I do. Yeesha deserves the right to learn- you cannot withhold it from her!"

"Catherine, my love, think-"

"I have done a lot of thinking. I know how scared you are, I am scared too. But I also trust in the Maker and believe that he will protect her."

Atrus didn't feel like telling her yet again that he didn't believe in the Maker. His mind was too logical for something like a Creator of All. It also drew too many memories about his father playing "god." But Catherine believed in Yahvo and so Atrus tried never to argue with her about it.

"Catherine..." he started, not knowing what it was he wanted to say.

Leaning forward suddenly, Catherine stared up into his face, her green eyes glowing in the moonlight.

"I also believe in you," she whispered, kissing him.

--

Yeesha was supposed to be asleep but it had eluded her for hours now. Neither one of her parents were back in from watching the stars out on the surface so, standing up, she decided that she was going to walk about.

There wasn't much in the Cleft, only four small rooms. Yeesha could see the potential of there being another, though it would take more tools and time then she had to carve it out of the stone. Father had insisted that they were leaving to return to Tomahna tomorrow. She didn't want to leave but had no choice...at least right now she didn't. Maybe some day when she was older she could revisit the Cleft. Though for right now, she had to content herself with wandering about one final time.

As always, the pool drew her to it. For some reason the tiny pool, with its precious supply of water and the struggling tree beside it, called to her. Sitting beside it, her thoughts ran wild but always seemed to make sense. It was only when she moved away that she felt confused and out of focus.

The stars were reflecting bright in the calm water. All around it the blue flowers were closed up tight for the night. Yeesha reached out a hand and brushed her fingers across the water, disturbing the reflection. Softly she recited the prophecy from Terahnee to herself.

"_Flowers in the desert. The child's eyes _

_Opened wide._

_A thousand million stars dance_

_In the dark mirror of the pool." Book of D'ni_

Katran often recited that prophecy while looking at Atrus and when she thought that he wasn't listening. Yet Yeesha heard. She even once found and read the book that Katran had compiled, writing about what happened with the D'ni before Yeesha was ever born. After reading that Yeesha couldn't help but marvel at her father's path.

But in her marveling she also felt wonder and fear about her own path. What was it? Where was it? She was nothing, no one. Only a descendant of greats; wonderful people who had brought so much to the D'ni while she...she...

_What?_

Laying her head on the ground, Yeesha sighed. She could still see the star's reflections in the pool, the faintest ripples seeming to make them sway in the night sky.

"A thousand million stars dance..." she murmured.

--


	4. Chapter 2, 1 to 2

Teroglahn:

-::cough::- Go look at Chapter 1, 2 to 4. -::cough::-

There is where I explain why there aren't any spoilers for Revelation. Anyway, I'm sure people who haven't played Revelation yet are very happy. -::winks::-

--

Break- **K'veer**

_The Council ordered the shaft repaired, the top tunnel completed, and then they sealed it. There was to be no breakthrough, no meeting with the surface-dwellers. Book of Ti'ana_

That was before my great-grandmother came. Ti'ana, bringer of destruction.

She showed the D'ni for what they truly were...showed all the hate and malice they had for outsiders, for ahrotahntee... For the Bahro.

They said the ahrotahntee could not write- they were wrong of course. At that moment though, I was no better then them...I could not write Ages. I could not mold my words to create beautiful worlds.

_We call it Tomahna. Myst III: Exile_

Tomahna- 'home' in D'ni. We returned home. Down to the underground city, up to the book room of K'veer and then home...across the expanse of the galaxy. But it was home.

--

Part 2- **Tomahna**

_Breathtaking, isn't it? ...We moved here after Atrus finished writing Releeshahn. He wanted us to have a new home too. Myst III: Exile_

The fierce sun of Tomahna was beating down hard upon the house. Stepping into her room, Yeesha hurried to open a window to release the built up heat.

Resting her elbows on the windowsill, Yeesha closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She was so tired from the journey back. It had taken three days to reach the city again; once there though, it had only been the matter of placing a hand upon the linking panel to return to the house.

Eedrah hadn't been there to greet them unlike what Atrus was expecting, but Yeesha knew he would show up soon- probably with Anna in tow. Thinking about her best friend made Yeesha grin.

_What a lot I will have to tell her about, _she thought.

Anna had been terribly jealous that she was getting to go to the surface and, although she didn't say anything, Yeesha knew Anna believed it was unfair. And maybe it was. After all she and Anna were just about sisters; the two of them were born almost at the same time and had been raised together. Sometimes it was almost like they were twins, being so in-tune with each other's thoughts.

Yet...there was a difference.

Yeesha was Atrus and Katran's child.

True, Eedrah and Marrim were just as respected and honored by the D'ni and Terahnee but there was always an unspoken difference. It showed in the way people's eyes flew to Yeesha first and then to Anna. Anna never said anything but, lately, Yeesha had begun to feel the difference sharply, which was why she had been so excited when Atrus and Katran told her about the trip to the Cleft a few weeks back. Anything to get away from the oppressing distinction between Anna and herself.

From behind her there came the sound of a light tapping on the door. Turning around, Yeesha called out,

"Come in!"

Anna's round face peered around the doorway at her.

"I was worried that you might be sleeping."

"And when have you ever cared about that?" laughed Yeesha.

"Ever since you got back from your long trip," responded Anna, stepping in and shutting the door behind her.

Anna was very pretty, even Yeesha had to admit that. Often she felt that Anna was far and away more attractive then she ever could be. Anna had beautifully tanned skin, was tall and slender and had flowing, silky black hair. Yeesha was short, relatively shapeless, at least where it mattered, with hair which never stayed where she put it and was always in her eyes. She had given up long ago ever hopping to be as pretty as her friend was, although she still sometimes imagined what it would be like.

_I suppose it balances out in the end. Anna gets the looks and I get the **looks**._

"So..." said Anna while plopping down onto the bed. "What was it like?"

Pretending to think for a moment, Yeesha answered dully, "Sandy."

Anna promptly threw a pillow at her. Grabbing the pillow, Yeesha rushed forward and attacked her with it. Two minutes later when both of them were sitting on the bed, giggling, Anna asked again.

"It wasn't what I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be more...exotic. It really looked rather plain." answered Yeesha fiddling with her nails, trying to get the last grains of sand out.

"And..." prompted Anna.

"And what?" said Yeesha standing and picking up pillows from the ground.

"Come on, Yeesha! You have that look about you. It's the same look that your mother gets when she has just had a dream."

"Mother has dreams every night."

"You know what I mean," said Anna disgustedly. "I mean one of _those_ dreams. Like the one she had about your father."

_I dreamed of a dead man floating in the pool, and now you're here! Book of Atrus_

"I didn't have a dream...but. Oh I don't know, Anna! Do you ever feel like you are going to go crazy trying to understand something that you know you _should _be able to?"

"All the time. Like the trouble with my Ages."

"At least you know how to write. Father hasn't even begun to teach me. I...I don't know."

Reaching over and catching Yeesha's hand, Anna smiled warmly at her.

"Don't worry, Yeesha. Everything will make sense soon, I'm sure of it."

"I sure hope so," Yeesha said with a sigh.

Laughing Anna shoved her making Yeesha stumble back a few steps.

"Don't you believe me?!"

"Only sometimes!!" cried Yeesha.

For a moment Anna pretended to be hurt, not looking Yeesha's direction and pouting. Eventually though, after many silly antics on Yeesha's part, Anna ended up forgiving her and asking for a description of her favorite part of the Cleft.

"The Cleft," said Yeesha kneeling down on the bed. "The Cleft has a pool at the bottom and by it is a baby tree..."

--

Eedrah had deep green eyes. Actually they were more of a cross between blue and green and at that moment they were focused on Atrus where he sat at his desk, reading a long, leather-bound book. Atrus was somewhat bothered by Eedrah staring at him, especially with the anxious expression on the younger man's face.

Setting the book down, Atrus placed his hand upon its cover and shook his head.

"Who wrote the additional parts?" he asked.

Eedrah's face fell. Sighing, he collapsed into the nearby chair which he refused earlier.

"Who else?" he said dejectedly. "I wrote it. Is it that bad?"

Atrus looked at the man sharply. He knew Eedrah had talent with writing Ages and the man was no fool. Why would he ask such a question? Surely he must know the answer already. But then would he, Atrus, want to admit to himself the same thing if he was in Eedrah's place?

"Yes- it is that bad. The whole Age is destroyed. To link would be suicide."

Atrus watched as the man rested his chin in his hand glared out the window. It wasn't that Eedrah was disappointed in Anna, neither Eedrah nor Marrim were as shallow as that. But Atrus knew how much writing meant to Anna; she had been fascinated with the process ever since she was little. How many times had she toddled into his study when she was hardly old enough to walk and sit on the carpet just enthraled as Atrus wrote. Writing was everything to Anna and Eedrah only wanted her wish to be a Writer become a reality.

Yet now...after this book. There was no way.

_More than a year has gone by since I finished writing Releeshahn. I have a new daughter, who I hope will one day Link to an Age with me. As I imagine Yeesha, leading the D'ni, those brave men and women are building a new life for themselves, I realize I've been given another chance as well. A chance to learn from my mistakes, and leave the past behind, once and for all. Myst III: Exile  
_

Pushing aside his memories, Atrus refocused his attention on Eedrah. The man was still staring out the window but he seemed a bit more resigned to the facts now.

"I guess..." Eedrah started. "Anna...fffffmm! Marrim thought so too I could tell she just- we just...We couldn't admit it. Are you sure Atrus? Is there _nothing_ we can do?"

"Eedrah, I'm sorry. You did everything that I would have- I have nothing more to add. I wish I could give more help. This is a horrible thing and I understand how terrible this will be for Anna, losing a second Age...especially one with people on it- ones that she knew. Believe me, I wish I could reverse this, or create some way to save the people, but I can't and both you and Anna know the reasons why."

"I suppose I should go tell her," sighed Eedrah, rising.

Handing him back the book, Atrus felt his heart go out to Anna and the people of the now dead Age.

"Tell her I am sorry and that if she wants to, she may stay a while here in Tomahna instead of going back to Releeshahn. Yeesha I know will be more then happy to talk things over with her."

"Thank you, Atrus. I am sorry to put you through all this; it isn't easy for any of us."

"That's all right. And Eedrah," Atrus called to the man as he headed out the door, "Anna will find her path, I know she will."

Once Eedrah had left, Atrus stood up and walked onto the balcony. Here he could overlook the beautiful rolling landscape of Tomahna. Here the marvel of it all always struck Atrus. How he could write of beautiful Ages but which already existed long before he was even born, never ceased to amaze him.

It was _Terokh Jeruth,_ the great tree of possibility. He had seen that tree many times; at both its worst and its best. One turn could make and unmake a world; one step could form or destroy a life forever.

_And what about the choice I just made?_

Had he just destroyed or helped to form a life? In his decision about Anna, was it the right one? Should he have tried something more?

There was no way for him to be certain. Only time would be able to answer his question. Time was the only one who could ever answer of his questions, such as about how he dealt with Yeesha.

Catherine's voice echoed in his head again. 'Atrus, I think it is time you taught Yeesha how to write.'

Teach Yeesha the Art...and what if things went wrong?

_And what if they don't?_

Clenching his fist in frustration, Atrus struggled with himself. But all he could think of was what if he didn't teach Yeesha and it destroyed whatever life laid ahead of her.

"Between guessing and knowing is a long dark tunnel," he muttered to himself. "And one of those days that tunnel is going to be the death of me."

And opening the door to his study he went off in search of Catherine.

--


	5. Chapter 2, 3 to 4

Sorry, was actually going to put up an explanation about that last Break (where it talks about going home.)

I_ really do_ know that Tomahna is part of Earth but...since it isn't really known how far away it is from the Cleft (although RAWA once let it slip that it is supposed to be only a few miles away) I decided that I was going to have them go to D'ni, link to another Age, then use a descriptive book and link right into Tomahna! It would work, in case you are checking, just think of it along the lines of what the Philosopher had to do to save Veovis.

And I swore to myself I would get updates done on _The Darkness_ on Saturdays, just this one is behind the others so I am giving a quicker update! Probably won't do another though till next Saturday.

-Miveen

--

It was their third game of chess. Straining her mind, Yeesha searched for a move. There wasn't one but she wasn't about to acknowledge that. At least not yet.

"Come on, Yeesha. There isn't a move, I have you in checkmate."

"I'm not so sure of that!" responded Yeesha still staring at the board.

Anna huffed and sat back in her chair, arms crossed.

Glaring at the board, Yeesha knew she was beat. Again. She hadn't won a game ever since she learned to play. Glancing up at Anna, she could see the light of victory in her eyes.

_She knows **I** know the game is over._

"Fine!" Yeesha cried, throwing up her hands. "You've won again. But I bet you can't beat me if we play another round."

"Do you mean like I didn't beat you the last two games?" asked Anna sarcastically, quickly setting up the board for another go.

"Exactly," said Yeesha as she moved forward a knight. It was a bold first move but she was playing recklessly, what did she care?

Five minutes later Yeesha knew she was going to lose again. Anna had most of her pieces including both of her bishops, which she always relied heavily upon.

_By Yahvo, it's no fair how good she is at this!!_

She was just about to sacrifice her Queen for the safety of her King when Eedrah appeared at the door.

"Anna, could I talk to you?"

Yeesha was thinking how good it was for him to appear at that moment, seeing as it would give her more time to look for a move, when she noticed what Eedrah was holding.

_Oh Anna..._

As Anna rose from the table Yeesha could see that her hands were trembling. One other time she had gone through this and it had torn her up inside- if it happened again it would be worse. Much worse. That Age had a culture, a civilization, people Anna had come to know. It couldn't have followed the fate of her other Age!

But when Yeesha glanced up at Eedrah's face she knew already what he was going to say.

_Oh poor Anna..._

For what seemed like an hour she sat, waiting for Anna to return. When she finally did Yeesha was shocked by how calm Anna seemed as she sat down again at her spot.

Neither woman spoke. Yeesha could hear every murmur and sound coming from the house and the surrounding area.

_Come on Anna, say something_, she willed silently.

But Anna remained silent, her hands firmly clenched, her eyes blinking rapidly. Yeesha could only imagine what she was feeling at that moment. She knew all her friend's dreams had just been shattered into a million pieces and there was nothing that could be done. But at least she had had her dreams; Yeesha never had anything to strive for. She was as empty as a _Kortee'nea_, a blank book. In so many ways Anna was luckier then her.

Finally, when Yeesha thought that she could stand the silence no longer, Anna spoke. She spoke quietly and, although her voice was slightly shaky, her eyes shone bright with determination.

"It's up to you, Yeesha. You do it for the both of us."

Startled, Yeesha stared at her friend.

"Anna, are you all right?"

"You learn," continued Anna, unheeding. "You learn to write beautiful Ages. I don't care what Master Atrus says, you have to learn. It's your task now. You learn to write better then anyone else. You learn everything. You have to do it- for all of us."

"Anna, I don't understand you. Maybe you should lay down."

But Anna only kept staring, her eyes red with unshed tears, and repeating the same phrase.

"You have to."

--

Eedrah and Anna had just left. Katran had never seen Anna look so poorly; the young woman was white as a sheet and her eyes seemed to have a listless look. Before they left, Katran had whispered to Eedrah that he might want a Healer to come look at her. If she went downhill this fast after just a few hours there was no telling what might become of her in a few days.

Stepping out of the book room, Katran headed down the hall. She wondered where Atrus was; it wasn't like him to not see his guests off. But then he too seemed out of it from the trip. Going to the Cleft had brought a lot of closure but it had also brought a lot of emotional stress. Then add to that the dilemma with Anna the moment he returned.

Sighing, she gave up thinking about it. What was done was done, there was nothing she could do about it now.

Katran was just considering going upstairs and taking a long, and much needed, bath when she heard Atrus calling to her.

"Catherine, I need to talk to you."

"I am listening," she said, her head tilted to one side.

"Let's go to my study first."

Katran sat in the first chair she saw when they entered the study. She hadn't realized how tired she was until noticing how even walking to the study sapped all her energy. Katran instinctively knew Atrus was also tired, though he wasn't showing it. After fifty-eight years together she could tell almost anything about him.

"Atrus, sit down," she said.

"No, I'm fine," he answered, shaking his head.

"Atrus," she insisted.

He gave in without another word.

_He really is over tired. That's not like him._

"You were right, Catherine, about Yeesha. I can't deny her the right to learn."

"What made you change your mind?" she asked quietly after a moment.

But Atrus didn't answer her. Instead he gazed sadly at his bookshelf which was full of Ages; some written by him and others salvaged from the D'ni ruins.

"Oh- I see." Dealing with Anna hadn't been easy but at least it had opened Atrus' eyes. She only wished there had been some other way.

"Have you told her yet?" Katran asked.

Atrus shook his head. Yeesha was extremely defensive of her best friend, and if she thought Atrus was doing this to make up for Anna- there could be a nasty confrontation. Even Katran had to agree it was best to wait a while before talking to her.

Suddenly, the door opened and Yeesha walked in. Katran's impression of her as she entered was that Yeesha was slightly confused but determined to finish what she had come in here to do.

_Oh darling- what are you planning?_

"Father," she said striding over to the desk, "I want you to teach me how to write. And if you won't teach me then I will go to Releeshahn and find someone there who will."

Katran felt a smile form at the corners of her mouth. Glancing over at Atrus, he seemed in total shock. Obviously he wasn't expecting something like this to happen. Katran was still smiling when Yeesha concluded her speech saying that Atrus had a choice then- teach her or leave it to someone else to teach her.

"Well Yeesha," said Atrus, standing, "it might surprise you that your mother and I have been talking and have decided to teach you the Art."

"You have?" asked Yeesha, voice cracking in surprise.

"We have. I was going to tell you but..." and he shrugged his shoulders, laughing.

Katran felt laughter bubbling up inside of her too, especially when she saw Yeesha's expression. She had obviously been expecting an argument and had braced herself for it. But now it turned out there was nothing to argue.

Rising, Katran hugged Yeesha and kissed her cheek.

"Congratulations, sweetheart. You will do wonders, I know it."

Glancing over at Atrus again, she saw the same thought in his face. It was something she had said to him, before they were even married.

_We can do wonders, you and I. Wonders._ _Book of Atrus_

And so they had. They had produced Yeesha- and now it was her turn to perform wonders.

Katran smiled encouragingly at him.

_Don't worry, Atrus. She is just following the path the Maker laid out for her. _

--


	6. Break and Chapter 3

So sorry this was a long time in coming. I've just been working on lots of other things and forgot about this one. Yet here it is. I hope you all enjoy.

_Edit: _Dang I am seriously behind. I'm going to be putting up two parts today then.

--

Break- **K'veer**

And so I learned how to write. I found that through words I could soar...I could rise above what I had believed was set in stone. So I stretched my wings and flew...I flew higher then any before me...I became one with the sky.

But the sky has the sun in it. The sun with rays which burn if you soar too close. I had yet to learn that though-I was young and overflowing with knowledge.

I ignored the threat of the sun. Instead I returned to the Cleft to find my place...to find my path.

_Many paths have brought me to this place. The path of my great grandmother, bringer of destruction. The path of my grandfather, rebuilder of pride. The path of my mother, writer of dreams. And of my father, of my dear_ _father, the caretaker of burdens. And I knew that at the end of such great paths must lay a great purpose. I returned to the Cleft to find it._

--

Part 3-** The Cleft**

"_Your **best**? And how good **was** you best? This hole in the ground you call a home? Is **this** your best?"_ _Book of Atrus_

The words Gehn had spoken in a furry, trying to hurt Anna, mingled and swarmed with other past conversations and sounds; haunting the place. Some of the sounds were pleasant- a child's ringing laughter- but others, such as the howls of anguish which issued from Gehn at the death of his wife, drew pain in with the joy. Ghosts of the past still lingered; all of them, bringing the delights and sorrows from their previous lives.

Yeesha had returned. Ducking into the kitchen, she breathed in deeply the cool air. It felt so good to be back here again. In the past three years, she had spent her days on Tomahna, at the library of Chroma'Agana and even occasionally on Releeshahn learning the Art. But always she wanted to come back to the Cleft. Finally, she was done and free to come here.

_If one can ever say they are done learning about the Art_, she thought.

She of all people should know that, having just finished writing an Age which astounded even Atrus. Her Age had been far and away above Atrus' or even Katran's talents. Yeesha had broken rule after rule that the D'ni Masters had set down; she had written her own rules.

Grinning, Yeesha remembered her parent's looks when she presented them with Relto, the special Age she had written just for them. And then once they linked to it...

She had placed everything just where it should be. Including the library which was so special to her father. It was something Yeesha had always wanted to do for them, yet once she finished, she left. Once she completed that purpose she left to find her greater purpose. Her full reason for being here- and the only place Yeesha could think to do that was at the Cleft.

Walking forward, Yeesha reached out a hand and stroked the smooth surface of the table.

_Learn to consider the Whole_ Father always told her. Well- she was considering the Whole now. Somehow this small gash in the earth connected all things together.

"_Always look at the interrelatedness of things, and remember that the "Whole" of one thing is always just a part of something else, something large."_ _Book of Atrus_

She was standing there, considering the wisdom of Anna's instructions when suddenly her stomach gave a particularly loud rumble.

"Wise instructions in that too!" she said laughing. It had been almost two days since she had last eaten so eager she was to get here. Before she could eat though she would have to unpack and draw water from the pool. Another loud rumble from her stomach seemed to her as if it was a prompting to get going then. Chuckling again, Yeesha began to busy herself in preparation for dinner.

--

_I see stone and dust and ashes. Book of Ti'ana_

I sit out on the desert again. It is just past sunset but there is a full moon so I can see enough to write this entry. Before me lays that vast emptiness of never ending sand. Ti'ana described there being a city far away from the Cleft and there are (or were) the traders that used to pass by here when my father was young both coming and going to other places in this Age. But when I sit out here with only the moon for company, I wonder if there _is_ anything out there.

There is nothing out here.

I have stayed here, on the surface, for many years- one of which was spent with my friends, the Wind People. Their ways were peaceful and simple, they strove to live as one with nature...it was an experience that I shall never forget. Or regret. I only wish I might have stayed longer yet the Cleft called to me.

Since I returned here I have stayed at the Cleft for two years never seeing another person, human or otherwise. Occasionally I will spot a desert bird flying above the sand far off on the horizon but they never come near the Cleft. I suppose it is because they know there is nothing to hunt here. Nothing at all in fact.

Only a crazy D'ni woman waiting.

That previous phrase has reminded me of a line from an old prophecy.

-_Time draws a jagged line upon the sand_

_In which the women waits.-_ _Book of D'ni_

Ti'ana...or me?

Today I again explored the volcano. Climbing over the rocks and up the steep ledges gives me something else to think about besides the unnumerable questions which constantly rush about my mind. I have no answers to any of them and fear that I might never.

No. I am slipping away into despair again. I cannot do that. I will force myself to focus on the present.

The tree by the pool continues growing. I remember how surprised I was when I first returned to the Cleft to find it taller then me already. Now it is almost twice my size! It is not at all as full as the trees on Releeshahn being instead scraggly and scrawny, but it is strong and will withstand whatever the desert throws at it.

I have thought about writing another Age but I am reluctant to do so. I am not even sure why seeing as it would give me something to do through my long hours of unoccupation.

Sometimes I wonder how Anna ever managed to occupy herself here especially after having lived in D'ni for so many years. I suppose taking care of Gehn and my father helped but what about the stretch of time during which Gehn was gone? How could she stand it?

Every time I look up at the sky I can't help but wonder what 'time' I am at and where my parents are. Are they in this 'time' or some other? As Aitrus explained it to Anna and my father to me:

"_These Ages are worlds that do exist, or have existed, or shall. Providing the description fits there is no limitation of time and space. The link is made regardless." Book of D'ni_

But I still wonder where that puts each of us. Am I living before my parents? Or are they living at the same time? Are they struggling somewhere else in their 'time' as their younger selves against Gehn while also living in their current selves peacefully on Relto? Is my future self performing some deed while I am here writing in this journal?

Ah, but pondering the Great Tree of possibility will get me nowhere and now the moon is directly above my head reminding me of how late it is.

--


	7. Chapter 4, 1 to 2

Break- **K'veer**

_And as he did, a man stepped from within that glistening whiteness, seeming for a moment almost to be a part of it; a tall unearthly figure with a large forehead and a strong, straight nose, over the bridge of which were strapped a pair of glasses identical to Atrus's own. A white cloak flapped out behind the stranger, giving him the appearance of some great mythical king. Book of Atrus_

Just as Gehn had appeared suddenly at the Cleft bringing Atrus down to D'ni to teach him, so my own Teacher suddenly appeared. My Teacher inspired no fear unlike what Atrus felt towards Gehn. He left no painful words to linger in the Cleft forever; he did not pressure; he did not fight...he only _was_.

And through that- all he needed to be.

--

Part 4- **The Volcano**

She hadn't expected to find it. Picking up the envelope, Yeesha studied the handwriting. It was her father's- she was certain of it. The letter had been stuck between her mattress and the stone wall where it must have slipped.

When had he been here?

Breaking open the seal she searched for a date, but couldn't find one. He must have left it when she was with the Wind People but she hadn't noticed any signs of anyone having been in the Cleft during her absence.

_Then again, Father is very careful..._

Yeesha sat down on the bed and turned the letter over in her hand. She wanted to savor the moment- it had been so long since any contact with her parents. It wasn't till now that she realized just how fully she missed them.

Turning the paper around once more, she finally started reading.

_Our dearest Yeesha,_

_Last night your mother had a dream..._

_We know that some futures are not cast, by writer or Maker, but the dream tells that D'ni will grow again someday. New seekers of D'ni will flow in from the desert feeling called to something they do not understand._

_But the dream also tells of a desert bird with the power to weave this new D'ni's future. We fear such power - it changes people._

_Yeesha, our desert bird, your search seems to take you further and further from us. I hope that what you find, will bring you closer._

_-Your father, Atrus_

Smiling faintly, Yeesha pressed the letter to her lips. Her dear father; her dear, dear father. She should have known that he would check on her at some point to ensure she was safe.

But, what did the letter mean?

Now puzzled, Yeesha read the note again, trying to understand what the dream was supposed to tell her. New seekers from the desert...others would come to D'ni? But who? And why would she be the one to lead them?

_Or is it really me?_

Staring at the letter one more time, she gently set it down on a small table then stood up. Standing in the doorframe, she gazed out at the inside of the Cleft, now darkening in the failing light of the sun.

There was more green growing along the walls then when she first came. She had worked hard, just as Anna had, to grow food and had taken advantage of the small crooks and crannies that Anna had carved out or expanded upon. Yeesha had also added some of her own nature carvings to the walls as well as reshaping the dulling ones done by Anna.

Maybe it was time for her to leave. The years had ticked by faster then she had realized and there was family and friends who she missed more then anything and must be anxious to see her themselves.

A single ray of light cut down across the top of Cleft; flashing brilliantly one moment then vanishing the next.

Maybe it _was _time to leave. Maybe her path would be revealed to her elsewhere.

_Maybe..._

Nodding her head slowly, Yeesha turned back to the room. She would go home tomorrow.

--

_In the blistering heat of the late afternoon sun, faint wisps of sulfurous steam rose from tiny fumaroles in the volcano's mouth, coiling like a dancer's veils in that shadowy dark beneath the edge before they vanished in the intense glare above. Book of Atrus_

Adjusting the pack on her back to a more comfortable position between her shoulder blades, Yeesha glanced upwards for just a moment. The sun was bright and left spots in her vision when she looked away. Yeesha had meant to leave earlier but packing and closing up the various rooms in the Cleft had taken longer then anticipated.

_It's not like I'm on a schedule though,_ she thought as she slung one foot into the basin.

She had to be very careful here, just as her father had always said. There was no true way to predict what the ground was going to be like when you put your full weight upon it. It might seem fine one moment and become deadly the next.

Yeesha dug her booted toes into the ground to make a new foothold. Tinny rocks spilled down into the volcano as she dug her foot in deeper, making certain that she would not slip.

Her progress was slow. Normally, if she was just exploring or checking on her experiments, she would have had a rope attached to her waist, ensuring that she would not fall too far if the rocks crumbled without warning. This time though, because she was not coming back up, she hadn't the safety rope about her waist.

_If Father caught me doing this he would be furious, _came the rueful thought.

Maybe it was because of that thought that inadvertently caused Yeesha to slow her pace. Otherwise she could have been down into the center of the basin within a matter of moments. Instead it took her close to twenty minutes.

She could feel the beads of sweat forming on her brow beneath her protective head covering, which shielded her from the acute glare of the sun. Reaching up a hand she was about to wipe them away when she paused. Her hand was covered in dirt and silt from her climb down. Yeesha studied her hand for a moment then shrugged and completed her movement.

Now it was only a matter of finding the tunnel among the various vents. It shouldn't be too hard but it was some time since she had looked for the tunnel leading home.

Yeesha walked forward carefully picking her way among the lava rocks. The mist swirled around her, obscuring her view but she wasn't worried about it- she was used to it enough now to not let it bother her.

_It was a cave. Or a tunnel of some kind. Book of Atrus_

Smiling as she spotted it, Yeesha scrambled over a few more rocks before finally enter the cool, dark of the tunnel. She then stood for a moment enjoying the soft breeze against her face. Then, once she was feeling refreshed, Yeesha reached into her bag for a firemarble and, tapping it till it came to life, held it aloft to stare about the enclosed space.

_Where it is? _

She knew it was a frivolous thing to do, searching for the D'ni word carved into the tunnel's entrance. But for some unknown reason, she always had to find it and run her hands along the deep groves of the elegant letters.

Just then, the bright light of the firemarble caught the edge of what she was looking for- seeping into the edges of the carving before reflecting on and away from it. Moving forward so that she was inches away from the wall, Yeesha placed a hand upon the cool surface of the stone in the very center of the carving.

This word. One that Atrus had found when he still didn't believe in the D'ni. This word that changed him...formed a new life for him down in the cavern.

Breathing deeply, Yeesha traced one finger in and out of the letters.

"It's beautifully carved. But, do you know what it means?"

Yeesha jumped and spun around in the same movement at the sound of the new voice.

_Who in Yahvo's name was that?!_

"Who's there?" she called into the deeper end of the tunnel, holding the firemarble aloft and straining her eyes to see into the dark.

A man stepped forward, the shadows melting around him as he moved with a simple, fluid grace closer towards her. He seemed old, wrinkles ingrained strongly on his face and pure silver hair which reflected the yellow light, muting it slightly. But the hand which gripped her arm, pulling it down along with the firemarble, was strong and firm and his eyes, as he stared into her's, were not glossed over but instead emitted a sense of wisdom and keen whits.

"I am Devokan," came the gentle reply.

Surprised Yeesha couldn't stop herself from exclaiming, automatically translating the D'ni word,

"_Hope!_"

A slow smile, one that reminded Yeesha of the sun finally consuming the dark in the early morning, spread across the man's face.

"Very good young one, you know D'ni."

Breaking out of his grasp, Yeesha took a step backwards and straightened her back stiffly.

"I _am _D'ni," she said. His words had burned her and she could feel her resentment flare up and her face flush in reaction.

"Ah," was all that the man said in response to this though. Then Devokan turned and stared out of the entrance to the tunnel, as he did, raising one hand and making the motion of a circle, leaving a gold reflection in the air.

Fascinated, Yeesha stared at him, watching his every movement, eyes not believing how he could create light out of nothing.

Finally, Devokan turned back to her and pointed, with the same hand that had just traced a circle in the air, down into the heart of the tunnel.

"._lenah_," he whispered. "_.bodokehn trehpahts_"

--

**Translations:**

_lenah_- journey

_.bodokehn trehpahts_- I will be at the city.

--

All translations courtesy of the D'ni Linguistic Fellowship. I couldn't have done this without them! 


	8. Chapter 4, 3 to 4

_It was several house hard walking through the labyrinth of twisting tunnels before they finally came to the eder tomahn. The D'ni way station was built into a recess of a large cave, its black, perfectly finished marble in stark contrast to the cave's natural limestone. Book of Atrus_

Stumbling wearily through the open door into the _eder tomahn_, Yeesha sought out the first bunk she could find and let herself fall face first into it. The bunks were hardly what she would call soft but after the tremendous hike she had made, her exhausted body wasn't complaining.

It was such a long way down to reach the city. She didn't wonder that Ti'ana grew lost when she was first stumbling down into the city. The path was vague at best, twisting and turning thousands of times with even more choices of interlinked tunnels with never a clear guide as to which one. Even with the map.

Forcing herself to roll over, Yeesha pulled the leather bound notebook out of her pocket. It was an ancient thing, twice as old as herself and maybe even more. The notebook was the very same one her great-grandfather, Aitrus, had used to provide a way for his wife and young son to escape the destruction of the city. Inside was the carefully drawn map he had created while even the disease ate away at him and he stumbled around in the dark striving to save what little was left to him- his family.

"_They are dead. Everyone...dead. My father...I buried him. And D'ni...D'ni is ended. But there is a way out. Through the tunnels. I mapped it. My notebook..." __Book of Ti'ana_

Yeesha closed her eyes and let her hands and the notebook fall to rest on her stomach.

_So many lives, so much destruction. So much pain, hurt, death, ruin and all their destruction and..._

"_.fehnah chaiehts _"

Yeesha's eyes snapped open and she stared wildly about the _eder tomahn._ There he was again, Devokan, watching her from the base of the bunk. But before she could speak, he raised a hand like before, this time pointed at her saying,

"_.kenen gor .kehnehmah trehpahts_"

And then he was gone, just as the time before. Not linking, not walking... merely gone.

Still staring at the spot that he was up till a moment ago occupying, Yeesha wondered what was going on. Twice an unknown man appears before her and admonishes her to travel to D'ni. But why? What was down there besides the ruins of the once great civilization? What reason could he have that required her to come to D'ni.

"It is time...be at the city..." she murmured to herself, echoing the man's words.

It was time- time for what?

Rolling back onto her side, Yeesha curled herself up into a ball. Whatever it was time for, she would find it in D'ni but to get there she would have to sleep. And yet, even as she was close to falling into a complete slumber the words of Devokan still lingered with her.

_...kenen gor..._it is time...

-

_Facing him was an enormous valley, six miles across and ten broad, its steeply sloping shores descending to a glowing orange lake that filled at least half the valley's floor. At the center of that lake was a huge island, a mile or more in width, two twisted columns of rock pushing up from that great tumulus to soar more then a mile into the air Beyond that, to its right, the great rock walls were curiously striped, regular tiered levels of colored stone reaching up into the shadows overhead...Within those levels great pools of orange water glowed. Book of Atrus_

Yeesha couldn't help staring in awe as she stepped into the cavern. There it was, the great city of the D'ni, now in ruins but with an air of power and might still lingering hundreds of years after its Fall. That the D'ni people could build such an amazing structure, fashion it right out of the living rock and mold it to their every needs could not help but impress and create marvel.

_They did nothing small,_ she thought with a slight smile.

Glancing one last time at the massive city before her, Yeesha turned herself and headed down towards the small harbor. There she knew one of the D'ni boats would be moored- one of the few salvaged by the group who had long ago tried to rebuild the city. They, led by her father, attempted what could not, and even should not, be done- building a new D'ni out of the old. And because they learned this, they left the city again to lie in its decay. From there, they moved to Releeshahn to start over and grow. But still, a few would return to the city, visiting it as it were to remember the dead.

Then others, like herself, felt constantly called to D'ni as if it longed to teach them something. As if a voice laying buried in the rubble was asking them to help it. Reveal what it was; become no longer hidden and unseen but alive and vibrant...seen.

Shaking her head in confusion at these new thoughts, Yeesha paused mid-stride and stared again at the great city.

_What was I thinking?_

Whatever it was, she couldn't understand it. She had certainly never thought of such an idea before! Yet, sometimes D'ni had that effect on her causing her to think of ideas before alien to her.

Sighing from both weariness and confusion, she was about to continue on when she spotted a shape moving towards her, up from the harbor. Small and slightly bent over yet with the keen aura of power and knowledge it could only be him.

"_.thoe kenem, nava_," said Yeesha when he was within hearing range. She had decided during her long hike down the tunnels that anyone who could do things such as which he seemed capable of must be a Master of the Art. Or if not that, then some other great power. Because of that revelation, she would afford him every respect like he deserved.

"_.shorah b'shehm, _Yeesha. I am well," he answered, stopping before her.

She wasn't surprised that he knew her name- somehow she could tell he would. It was almost as if he had been waiting for her all his life and just _knew_ ever detail about her.

A smile softly creased itself into his face, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening and reforming with the movement.

"Your intuition is quick, young one."

"Thank you, _Nava._"

"And yet," he continued, reaching out and brushing a leathery soft hand across her face, "I sense an emptiness about you."

Startled, Yeesha glanced quizzically into his face, searching for an answer.

_Why do you say that? _she wanted to know. _Is it so obvious I am not whole? Can you not fix it?_

"What you seek," said the master with a small shake of his head, "I can only show you but a glimpse, you must take it yourself. It is _you _who must accept what you are."

"First I must be shown..." she supplicated, knowing suddenly he was what would point her down her path. He was the only one who could show her where her destiny lay.

"I will," he replied. "But you must make your first choice now if you would find your way. I will warn you- this choice is not easy. Yet if you seek the path the Maker has laid before you, then you must make it. So, the choice is this: give up all that you have learned, all that you know and come and learn what I would have you see. Or... hold tight to those things which you now understand and even love, and return from where you came."

_The cavern was silent. A faint mist drifted on the surface of the water, underlit by the dull orange glow that seemed to emanate from deep within the lake. Book of D'ni_

In the silence, Yeesha stared at the man before her, thoughts running madly in her head. What he was asking her to do, what he was forcing her to decide, was worse then anything she had yet experienced. Such a terrible option; give up all she had held close for her life or learn whatever it was he could offer her.

_How can I make such a choice!_ she thought angrily. _Lose and yet gain versus keep and lose..._

"Have I no other option?" she asked, praying that there was. But the Master only shook his head no.

_Oh Yahvo!_

Yeesha shifted her feet agitatedly. It was all here, all at this moment. Everything she ever wanted was within her grasp- but she had never thought it would be accompanied like this.

In frustration, she glanced across the waters again. There stood D'ni, waiting...either to bring her home or reveal its secrets. She could see all the spindly, spires of the islands which surrounded it, could even faintly make out Kerath's Arch rising in welcome, waiting for her to enter through it just as it had for so many others before her.

Suddenly Anna's words, the ones she had told Yeesha the day of their returning to Tomahna from the Cleft, echoed loudly in her mind. "You learn to write better then anyone else. You learn everything. You have to do it- for all of us."

_I have to do it for all of them._

Facing the Master once more, Yeesha raised her chin in determination and said,

"I choose to learn the Art. I choose to follow my path."

-

.fehnah chaiehts- Faulty story. (Or, as I used it, stories, although the literal translation come out as story. Also, fault is related more for a geological fault but it was bent a little to fit. )

.kenen gor- It is time.

.kehnehmah trehpahts- Be at the city.

thoe kenem, nava- How are you, Master?

shorah b'shehm- Peace to you.


	9. Chapter 5

Break-** K'veer**

_From afar the city had seemed like an amorphous mass of stone. From close up, however, it revealed an intricacy and variety that was astonishing. Even the color of the stone changed as the eye traveled up that vast bowl of jumbled architecture, the lowest levels slate gray or a dull red-brown, the higher levels the same black streaked with red that was used for the island mansions and the Inner Gate._ _Book of Atrus _

We entered the city. Like Atrus and Ti'ana before that, so I came into D'ni full of wonder...unsure of what next I would see...or learn.

My teacher, my path- all things were beginning now. All things were forming now. And, following in the footfalls of the ones who came many ages before me, it was formed in the darkness of the cavern.

-

Part 5- **The Library**

_Libraries hold the writings of man_

_Hearts hold the truth of the Maker._

"_Words" Section 2_

They were at the great library of the D'ni. Craning her neck to see the top of the structure, Yeesha admired its elegance and form. Such a beautiful building meant to hold the jewel of the D'ni society and define what it was.

The Master was a few steps in front of her, leading the way to the library along the cracked and stone littered paths. She wasn't entirely sure why he would be bringing her here. The Library had been emptied out by Atrus and the others of his teams long before she was born, taking the books to read over in hopes that there might be a few survivors left. Before them, Gehn had come along, likewise collecting his fair share of books and taking also the blank books to use in his mad plan of restoring the D'ni pride.

But she was bound to trust the Master. Her decision had been made all those hours ago and now she had no option but to follow him and trust in what he was doing.

The Library door opened readily, not being locked, and Yeesha wondered if the Master had been staying in the city for a long time waiting for her. Maybe even making the Library his home.

Inside the Library only a few lamps were burning and, with the thick walls blocking even the faintest of sounds from the outside, the silence grew deeper, broken only by the sound of Yeesha's boots hitting the floor and the Master's soft shuffling. He continued to lead her onward, down the circular stairwell which seemed to stretch into infinity, till at last they rounded a final curve and reached the bottom level.

Here the air was damp and cold and the stone walls glistened from the moisture that covered them. And in one corner, a table had been set up. It was littered with books, papers and pots of ink, some capped others open, and thin pens used in the writing of Ages. Around that table, lay piles of books, the special ones, brazen with gold lettering on their spines telling the name of each Age whose descriptions were contained therein.

The Master walked up to the desk and began moving papers, as if searching for something in particular. Yeesha watched him for a minute but soon her attention was captured by the books that lay about her. Each book was so much more beautiful then any she had seen before. Their covers were all the deepest shade of whatever dye had been used on them and each bore gold lettering. Back on Tomahna her father had plenty of books but none as marvelous as these. His bore plain covers, or the few that were more elaborate, such as Releeshahn, didn't have colors that were half as vibrant like these were.

Stooping over, Yeesha lifted a book from the top of a pile and opened it. The graceful D'ni words that seemed as if to be burned into the white page, greeted her eyes as she began to read. Descriptions; vivid, alive, detailed, poetic, complete, consuming...

Wrong...

Shocked, Yeesha blinked twice and read the phrase over again.

_No, that can't be!_

That phrase, what it described, it wasn't possible! Even she, who had broken what was law for all D'ni Masters before her, knew that what this book spoke of couldn't happen. It would defy every truth and belief ever formed.

_But here it is, in this Age._

A hand rested on her shoulder. Yeesha looked over into her master's face, knowing her eyes to be full of questions and wonder.

"How?" she whispered, lifting a hand slightly to point at the book in question.

"Because what was thought as truth were merely lies."

It was a cryptic answer which did little to help her. Returning her gaze to the book, Yeesha could feel the confusion in her multiply to an almost unbearable level.

It still didn't make sense. How? How could he have done that? How could it be possible?

"Link there and you will see," _Nava _said, gently squeezing her shoulder.

Flipping to the last page of the book, she stared at the linking panel. It was live; the small window showing but a glimpse of the Age that awaited her. Still...

She looked once more to the _Nava's _face for guidance and assurance.

"Remember you agreed to leave behind all you once knew," he admonished her. "._kenem'nea lonem regestoy_."

And taking her hand, he placed it on the linking panel.

-

_For a moment_ _it was as if she were melting, fusing with the ink and paper, and then, with a suddenness that was shocking, she was herself again, in her own body. __Book of Ti'ana_

Yeesha was back in the library. She stood, blinking, eyes adjusting to the dimness of the light compared to where she, just a moment ago, had been.

She still could scarcely believe what she had seen. It defied everything, it clashed with everything, it was unbelievable.

The _Nava _was sitting in a chair by the desk, writing in a book. Approaching, Yeesha leaned against the table to stare into his face.

"Teach me to write like that," was all she said.

He regarded her closely, as if contemplating her and what he should give as an answer to such a request.

Finally he spoke, his voice soft and almost wondering.

"Oh young one, you will learn to write so much more then that. Much more then even I can obtain. That which you just saw will become but simple thing for you to write, for the marvels you will create will be unlike any before you and, very likely, any who come after you."

Taking a step back, Yeesha stared down at the floor, absorbing what he just said and attempting to understand it. Her thoughts flew from one word to another. She was to be great. The girl who years upon years ago once sat watching the stars dance in a pool, wondering what her life was to be and what she was to do, would become a name long remembered. Her name was to be written down with the names of the other men and women who were so influential in the shaping and molding of D'ni.

_Me!_

Tilting her head sideways to gaze at the _Nava_, she said,

"I want to learn it all. Teach me everything you can. I want to learn it _all_."

As the Master watched her, she thought for a moment a look of regret crossed his face but the next instant it was gone and he was pointing towards another chair by his own.

"Very well, young one."

Yeesha smiled then as she sat. She was to do it- she would take on the very power of the Masters.

_And there is no reason for me to stop..._

_-_

.kenem'nea lonem regestoy- You are empty, discover the Art.


	10. Chapter 6

Break- **K'veer**

_And my journey was similar. I could write things that the D'ni never dreamed of. My writing smashed barriers held as absolutes for millennium. I could change things; I could move things; I could control things. I learned beyond my parents. I learned beyond all. I wrote Ages against D'ni challengers, Masters of the Art, and they were beaten. I took all that I could hold._

You might think me wise and all powerful. And at that moment I did have all power- I could perform wonders through my words. I moved far beyond the teachings of my _Nava_... I moved far beyond everything...

But I was not wise. I was a foolish child who was given too much privilege too soon. I was not ready yet for my path...I was not ready yet to be set free...

So perhaps it was the Maker's will what next happened. Or perhaps it was only my own folly.

Yet whatever the cause...I was not the only one who suffered from it.

-

Part 6- **Kadish Tolesa **

The vault hadn't been opened in years.

Stepping carefully along the cracked and crumbling bridge that lead to the massive locked vault doors, Yeesha felt her heart beating rapidly in anticipation. For weeks now she worked hard to solve the different puzzles so obviously put in place to guard the Age's precious secret. And now, finally, she had cracked them all. She knew she could have bypassed them, written her own words in the book to override the original author's but...

_I didn't have a challenge in so long,_ she thought, remembering her own reasoning.

So instead she worked out the clues like any other person would have, slowly fitting each piece together till it at last made sense. The very experience was exhilarating. At times even she could feel her father beside her, giving her instructions, reminding her of past lessons and congratulating her when she solved one.

Now only a single puzzle remained to be cracked- the code to get inside the vault.

Studying the panel before her, Yeesha thought back over everything she had seen. This man, this Kadish, he constantly left clues for cracking his codes. It was only a matter of finding the clue that matched with the puzzle.

_Where have I seen those pictures?_ she thought, fingering each button absentmindedly.

Yeesha reached into her bag and pulled out a thin notebook. Inside it were all her notes she made when last in the Gallery. At first the connection between the beautiful, haunting Gallery and the Age overrun by the very forests that supported it, eluded her. But it wasn't for long.

Smiling to herself as she found what she was looking for, Yeesha punched in the code and looked up expectantly. Slowly the massive doors to the vault cracked open and Yeesha allowed herself a moment of triumph. She had done it! Just like she always knew she could.

Suddenly she could wait no longer to find out what the contents of the vault were. Darting up the stairs and into the heart of the vault, she almost tripped over her own feet by what greeted her eyes.

The vault had a huge interior yet with the amount of stuff crammed into it, it seemed only to be the size of a small bedroom like what could be found in the Jaren district in D'ni. But it wasn't how small the vault seemed on the inside that caused Yeesha to halt in her tracks- it was what _caused_ it to appear that way. Riches beyond anything she had ever seen! Great piles of it lay scattered about or piled along the edges; boxes, bags, crates, chests, rich tapestries and rugs all rolled up and crammed together in great heaps. The wealth took up all free space there was except for an empty section in the very middle.

Yeesha walked forward till she was in the extreme center of the vault and stared about her.

In the center of the vault also lay the bones of a man, a Guildmaster of the Writers judging by his rotting red cloak. He lay sprawled out on the floor, one fleshless hand stretched towards a linking book but never reaching the panel. Beside that, lay a note.

Squatting down, Yeesha reached over and picked up the note, careful so as not to damage it.

It read:

_lerochai suhoy .mahnshootahvting mileshen zoo .yihm rahshahthom .dohahrtenen geh dofolesen kheveelaioy b'koozah .yeechtahvteeon rifeeneet sahethoy_

_.korvahkhtee keneet tomet roob ril bokoozah_

_.le'ehmee .ken tomet te biv roo miruh .rilrovchahnshentoen tah me zoo .bomahnshoo tomet to eest .to met kenen bahvahnin gah bojikahen bahvahnin_

_.khoy hevtee met dohooreet pahl rifoonemah roo ril kokino .ril komahnshoo te rildil .komahnshoo te bivdil .fitaiemah se tsosahtahvteeoy .pishoeet b'zoo bokeneet t'zoo tsahn_

_.shorah_

_tel nava kaidish_

Yeesha glanced over at the skeleton again. So _that _was Guildmaster Kadish. The man who wrote the Age they were currently in. What a waste his life and death had been.

Placing her pack on the ground in front of her, Yeesha stuffed the note inside one of its larger pockets. She would have to look over the note more later. Right now she was certain her _Nava_ would be waiting for her and she had promised to be back hours ago. The vault, Guildmaster Kadish and the note would have to wait till another time.

On final impulse though- before she linked away from that Age with her own linking book- Yeesha checked to see where the book led to that Kadish seemed to be reaching for. Blowing the dust off of the panel the faint glow grew stronger and more clear when at last she could see the active picture. It was the Gallery, the place where all Kadish's hints lay.

Yeesha raised an eyebrow, half in mockery, half in disbelief, and said aloud,

"So that's where you came from, Kadish."

Then, replacing the book, she used her own and linked out of the vault.

-

_They stepped out, into the center of the veranda. There was a tiled roof overhead, but the view was open now on all four sides. All about them the lake stretched away, while in the distance they could see the great twisted rock of Ae'Gura and, to its right, the city. Book of Ti'ana _

Yeesha had returned to K'veer. She had first linked home from Kadish Tolesa hours ago, the link placing her to the great library where her _Nava _still stayed. But she wasn't able to remain there, especially after their heated conversation about her recent actions.

Sighing, Yeesha rested her elbows on the balcony ledge and looked out over the water. It was the D'ni night and the special plankton which lit the water and consequently D'ni, were sleeping, casting off only a faint glow now. Thirty hours- that was how long a day was in the cavern- thirty hours. Today she had been gone for twenty-five of them.

_How Nava Devokan hated that_, came her bitter thoughts.

Sometimes it was so hard for her to still realize that she was considered his student. Yeesha knew she had passed him, even knew he knew she had passed him! And yet he still insisted on her obeying and treating him like her teacher.

_He has hardly anything to teach me now!_

Just a few old prophecies. Scrawling words printed into cracked and battered books. But Devokan insisted that she learn them and insisted that they spoke of her. Yeesha wasn't certain though.

With a frustrated stamp of her foot, Yeesha spun about and stormed back into the mansion.

Devokan didn't know what he was talking about. All his years were finally catching up with him leaving him blind and disillusioned, which was just as well. He might fare better if he left the ruins of D'ni for a while anyway. Maybe a trip to Releeshahn to visit other D'ni peoples would do him good. And it would leave her alone in the city to do what she liked.

Yeesha entered her bedroom and flopped down hard on her bed. The springs inside it caved in deeply sending her bag, where she had carelessly thrown it on the mattress, to roll on top of her. Moaning slightly, Yeesha shoved it off of her, fully annoyed at its having been there. It moved with a small clank and crackle of paper.

_What in Yahvo's name was that?_

Sitting upright, Yeesha pulled the bag back towards her, pushing on it slightly to find the source of its noise. Another crackle of paper rewarded her investigation and hastily Yeesha opened the pocket to find out what exactly the noise was from. She pulled out an old, slightly yellowed piece of paper full of dark D'ni script.

"Oh, Kadish's note," she muttered, spreading it out on her lap and smoothing out the creases.

She had forgotten about that with her argument with Devokan and all. Examining it again now, Yeesha began to wonder about the meanings and thoughts behind the note. Could Kadish have really meant this?

Reaching into her pack a second time, she pulled out her notebook, a pen and pot of ink. She was certain that Devokan had once talked about Kadish which was part of the reason she was so curious to see and solve his Age. But what was it that the _Nava _had said?

Finding her notes from her last lesson, Yeesha read over them quickly then looked back over at the note.

"That was right, _Nava _said you claimed to be the Grower."

She laughed softly to herself then. She had seen the Age Kadish claimed to write, visited it before heading to Tolesa. He and it were nothing but a fraud, nothing but a fake. Kadish didn't have the power to write like she did, he only pretended that he did, he only put on a facade to make others think he could. Kadish wasn't the Grower.

Taking up her pen, Yeesha dipped it into the ink well and scrawled on the note:

_What kind of end is this?_

To die with nothing, unlike what he believed. To have died a false man, a man of facades, a man of lies. He was alone in a vault of things- nothings.

_Could he ever realize such failure?_

Did Kadish see what a failure he was? Could Kadish not know how he was not the one to save or to lead the D'ni? And certainly not the one to grow the Tree. If only he could have been made to see that maybe his end would have come differently.

Suddenly, Yeesha paused, her jaw hanging limp with the new idea forming in her mind.

Show Kadish what he was. She could show him what he was not and teach him of what was to come. Maybe then his life would end better and not in failure.

_But I can't!_ her mind objected.

Yet who was to say she couldn't? Devokan drilled into her how she was the foreseen Grower and the one all those prophecies spoke of. She had learned how to alter the linking books in ways no one ever thought possible. She was amazingly powerful. Who was to say she couldn't write a link back to there- back to when Kadish was still living.

Glaring down at the note again, she scrawled half absentmindedly onto the very bottom of the page,

_Impossible unless..._

Unless she tried the new idea she had been working on over the past month, the one Devokan didn't believe could work. But what did he know? He wasn't nearly at her level and couldn't write or think as she could. And she could do this.

_I know I can, _she decided.

Grinning madly, Yeesha propelled herself off of the bed and out the door, making for her study. It would only take some time and a little patience for her to write the linking book to get to where she wanted and once she did, eyes would be opened.

-

_The Book Room of K'veer was an impressive chamber...The whole Book Room was like a giant spur, jutting from the main twist of the rock. There was a drop of ten spans between it and the surface of the lake below. Book of Ti'ana_

Inside the circular chamber shelves lined the walls, stretching up to the very ceiling. In the golden age of D'ni those shelves would have been full of books; commentaries on the famous, ancient Ages that the family of that house would have owned. Now they were vacant, holding only dust like the six pedestals that stood before them. Those stone pedestals would have held the actual Age books themselves- shown off in pride to others in a silent boast of the family's wealth and power.

But that was before the Fall of the D'ni.

Striding into the room, Yeesha hardly paused to look about her at the desolate Book Room or even glance out the two large windows which looked out over the lake. Instead she headed directly to the center pedestal and placed the large blue book she was carrying upon it.

She was dressed in a complete Maintainers suit, the close fitting fabric covering her body completely. Yeesha had still to put on the helmet which, although first soft to the touch, would harden the moment something pressed against it firmly. Checking herself over, she ensured that she had everything she would need. The suit should protect her from anything that might be harmful on the outside and the oxygen tank would provide her with fresh air in case the atmosphere became contaminated. Not that she was expecting anything to go as wrong as that.

_Old habits die hard,_ she thought, pulling on different straps, checking they were securely fastened.

Her father, Atrus, had always drilled into her the importance of being safe whenever linking somewhere or doing something she wasn't completely certain could hold no risks. Whenever he and his teams were investigating old D'ni books when they first returned to the city, he always insisted they use an E.V. suit- an extremely bulky, heavy suit which was practically indestructible. But it was also almost impossible to move in it. That was why Yeesha had chosen to wear the lighter weight Maintainers suit which was more practical for her build and needs.

Now everything was ready. She had the descriptive book in place, the thin linking book in her pocket and the suit was complete and its helmet on.

Taking a step nearer the pedestal with the blue book, she gazed down at it, hand hovering over the still blank panel. Once she linked there, the image would appear inside of it but until then, it was only a mass of swirling dark.

_If I go, there will be no turning back..._

Yeesha had worked months to perfect this book. Days and nights were taken pouring over other Ages to see the words they used, and forming and reforming her own thoughts and words till at last she could copy them down into the _kortee'nea_ where the Age was described. Never had she once let on to the _Nava_ what she was doing, only working on the book in the secrecy of the study in K'veer so that he would not know until after everything was done when he could no longer stop it. He was still working away in the Library, not suspecting she was about to take a link such as no one had ever taken before.

With a final movement Yeesha pressed her hand onto the panel and linked.

-

_The great cavern was silent, as if empty of all other life. Only the faint, dull air-rhythm of the great fans could be hear, distant like a heartbeat. Book of Ti'ana_

Yet the city was alive. Glowing lamplights and streetlights flickered all over the city. Few of the D'ni, cloaked and hooded, burying their faces in shadows, hurried about the empty streets following the orders of their secret plans. Inside houses, silhouetted figures moved slowly back and forth in front of windows, their voices faint murmurs in the dark.

"The city is alive," whispered Yeesha in pleasure.

Everything was different. Buildings she had only seen the crumbled ruins of, now stood erect, their forms more graceful and towering then she before imagined them as. Streets were complete, not cracked or with gaping wholes in them as she was used to. Everywhere the colors were vibrant, even in the dark of night, and even the few people hurrying on their ways felt as if the streets were crowded.

Yeesha took a few steps forward, her surprise making her suddenly hesitant. She had only dreamed of ever seeing D'ni living and throbbing as it once had. She never actually thought she _would _ever see it.

_And here I am!_

One pedestrian caught sight of her and for a moment, stood staring at her- bafflement emitting from their very stance.

Suddenly remembering what she was dressed in and why she was there, Yeesha bobbed her head to the person and slunk off down a dark alleyway. She shouldn't have chanced standing there like that, in plain view of all D'ni. If for some reason they caught her here and brought her before The Five or The Council, things could go seriously wrong. It might even change the outcome of the Fall of D'ni.

_Aitrus and Ti'ana!_

Stopping dead in her tracks, Yeesha thought for a moment. She had always wanted to meet her great-grandfather and great-grandmother. Both of them died long before she was ever born, but the curiosity as to what they were like remained. Even Atrus had never met his grandfather, Aitrus, seeing as the man died shortly after the Fall. To meet or at any rate, see those two of her ancestors, would be amazing...

_And risky,_ her mind reasoned with her.

Very risky in fact. That too might effect the outcome of D'ni which, if she messed around with too much, might even cause her to not be born. Or even Atrus to be born!

"I have to stick with my original plan," she ordered herself, resuming her walk. "Find Kadish and link back with him."

Yeesha nodded to herself, pleased. That was all she would do- no matter how tempting the other ideas might be- she would just find Kadish.

"Because that won't change anything."

-

Yeesha stepped out of the air back into the familiar setting of the Book Room in K'veer, already a triumphant smile plastered to her face. Laughing in satisfaction, she pulled the mask off of her face and shook her head vigorously to rearrange her hair. Then, laughing again in pleasure at the sight before her, motioned towards the door with one hand.

"Go on Master, it is safe."

"What?" asked the figure, startled.

"K'veer- it is safe to venture about in. You may explore as you wish, Guildmaster Kadish, there is no one to stop you."

"Ah," came the slow, distracted reply as the man walked out of the door, leaving the Book Room.

It had taken Yeesha all night to find Guildmaster Kadish's house and then long into the morning to locate the Guildmaster himself. She should have known that it would take her a long time and that it was very unlikely to find Kadish at home by the time she did- but she hadn't thought of it till after she was ready to link back. Not that it really mattered now that she found him. She had done all that she set out to do- she saw the great city when it was still alive and had experienced D'ni for herself.

_Even its death..._

That was the worst part about coming and leaving D'ni; watching as the virus overtook the city. Yeesha had hoped to leave before the earthquake hit and the virus was released but things didn't work out that way. Instead she barely had time to find Kadish and explain a little about why she was there when it happened- the great cavern rumbled and the whole city shook with the impact.

Yeesha was standing near a window at the time, frantically talking to Kadish, and after the earthquake she had looked out over the lake, watching in horrified fascination as the dark cloud seeped forward.

_Slowly the dark cloud spread, like a mighty veil begin draw across the far side of the cavern. Inch by inch it crept across the lake, edging toward D'ni, and where it touched the surface of the lake, the light from the lake was extinguished. Book of Ti'ana_

Kadish was more then eager to leave with her then, crying for her to take him with her and for them to link away to safety. But it was Yeesha who was unwilling to leave right then. It was such a terrible thing to watch, knowing full well what would come next- the city would die as would all the people in it and any who fled to the safety of the Ages would be hunted down by Veovis and his helper so that only a few were to survive. At that moment she wanted more then anything to help them, to save them all, take them with her and link away to safety. Most of all to save Ti'ana and her family.

It was only Kadish's screaming at her that stopped Yeesha's ideas and prevented her from attempting any of them.

Now as she walked along the corridors of K'veer, glancing occasionally out at the lake, she knew it was the right thing to do to leave D'ni to its fate. There was nothing she could have done for them that wouldn't have totally destroyed the present.

"Now, where is Kadish?" she wondered aloud and was just about to call out for him when, rounding a corner, she saw something that made the words fade on her lips.

"Yeesha, what have you done?"

Stopping, Yeesha let her arms hang loose at her sides as she answered,

"I visited D'ni, _Nava_."

"I can see that," cried the man, stepping forward. "But what _else _have you done!"

There were tears glistening at the corners of his eyes and his mouth was twisted in pain as Devokan stared up at Yeesha. Broken trust, fear, hurt, worry, sadness...

_Oh Nava, what have I done?_

Yeesha felt herself grow cold. She brought Kadish back, she visited D'ni, she changed the past, she broke rules and not the rules of D'ni Masters, but the rules of nature and morals. She had created evil.

"_Nava,_ what am I to do?" she asked helplessly, realization descending heavily upon her.

But, as her master opened his mouth to speak, another voice broke in.

"Do? You are to do nothing." And Kadish stepped out into the corridor, eyes focusing on both of them.

Staring at Kadish, Yeesha could still feel the burning gaze of Devokan upon her, knowing full well the additional pain and hurt that would be there if she looked at him again. Kadish, though, seemed almost scornful as he looked at her as if he was disgusted that _she_ had been the one to bring him here.

"It would not have been right," he continued, "if I had died in that disaster."

_Yet you were supposed to, _Yeesha objected silently.

"The D'ni people need me," Kadish said, eyes now focused out a window, looking towards the distant city.

"The people do not need you," said Devokan, speaking for the first time to Kadish. "You are nothing."

"How _dare _you say that!" shouted Kadish suddenly, voice defensive. "I am the Grower!"

But, Devokan only scoffed and pointed a hand at Yeesha, his eyes bright with anger.

"She is the Grower, the true Grower. _You _are nothing but a fraud."

At those words, Kadish seemed transfixed, as if he could not believe someone had said that to him and about him. His eyes flew wildly from Yeesha to the _Nava_ until at last resting on Yeesha where he stared long at her. He stared with such ferocity and such hatred that Yeesha wonder if he was trying to disintegrate her with his gaze.

Then he spoke, his voice harsh and grating in the stillness which had fallen.

"You speak lies, old one. I warn you, do not talk that way again. I am the Grower. _This is your one answer./ What is given is proof of it-_" _"Words" Section 4_

"_They honor magicians/And never know of true power./They bow to liars/Because truth cannot wait,_" interrupted Devokan. _"Words" Section 2_ "You speak of what you do not know."

Again Kadish froze- the only parts of him moving were his hands gripping and ungripping and his chest, heaving up and down.

"I warn you once more," said Kadish, his voice now deep and menacing. "Do not say such a thing... _Be still and the path will be made known_." _"Words" Section 1_

"_All of them look over you./ And they do not see the right path_," quoted Devokan once more, his voice as close to a shout as Yeesha had ever heard. _"Words" Section 5_

Looking on at both Kadish and Devokan where they stood facing each other- Kadish in a blind furry and Devokan in a defensive anger- Yeesha knew something terrible was to happen. She, in her blind folly, had brought about a great evil and now there was no possible way for her to stop it.

"_Books will be your stronghold, and then you will die,_ _"Words" Section 1_" continued the _Nava_ but, before he could finish the stanza, Kadish screamed something incomprehensible and flung himself at the older man. Devokan choked once, then staggered under the weight of Kadish, trying desperately to avoid Kadish's clutches but the Guildmaster caught him by the throat and began choking him.

Horrified, Yeesha rushed forward in defense of Devokan, trying to pull Kadish off of the _Nava_ but the Guildmaster was by far stronger then her and had a much heavier build. For a second, when she first wrapped her arms about his neck, struggling to pull him away, he released Devokan but, reaching around, lifted Yeesha off of her feet and flung her against the wall, bashing her head against it. The impact stunned Yeesha so that she could only watch, helplessly as Devokan strove to fend Kadish off. At one point it seemed as if the master might be able to escape and he was running for the nearest door when Kadish pulled out long barreled gun.

Yeesha tried to scream then, to shout to the _Nava_ to duck or move away, but no sound came out- only that of a single gun shot.

_No!_

Devokan crumbled to the ground instantly, where he lay motionless even after Kadish walked up and kicked his sides, testing to see if he was truly dead.

_No...no..._

Forcing herself onto her knees, Yeesha crawled over to where the still form lay, reaching out a hand to gently touch its neck. There was no pulse, not even a faint one. Tears filled her eyes and, picking up the old head, she gently placed it on her lap. The eyes were wide open and, what once shone wisely were covered in a film. Yeesha miserably bent over him, resting her head on his chest and weeping as though she could never stop.

_Oh Nava,_ she thought miserably, _I'm so sorry. I should never have done this. I should never have brought him back. I'm so sorry._

Yet even as she sat crying over the dead body of her Master, Yeesha felt a pair of strong hands grab her collar and wrench her to a standing position. Kadish stood facing her, his hands still gripping her collar, eyes dark with calculations.

"So, you are the Grower," was all he said.

Was she the Grower? Could she be the one? Even after all she had done, all that she had wanted to do, could she still be the Grower? Or was Devokan wrong? Maybe she never was...

"Were you the one who wrote the book to D'ni? The one that came back to my time."

Numbly, Yeesha nodded her head. What did it matter now what she had done and what she could do? Devokan was dead because of her- that was all she cared about.

"And can you, write such a link to other places and Ages?" demanded Kadish.

Again, Yeesha could only gaze dumbly at him and nod her head yes. At that, Kadish tilted his head slightly to one side, the ideas forming reflecting on his face and the light of power and greed in his eyes.

"Then tell me one more thing," said Kadish, pulling her closer to him so that she was inches away from his face. "Do you believe you are the Grower?"

_Do I?_

No, she wasn't the Grower or, if she ever was, then that was now dead. Yeesha and the Grower were now dead just like Devokan; they had died with him.

Never dropping Kadish's gaze for a moment, Yeesha whispered firmly,

"No."

-

The library was deserted except for Yeesha. Sitting in the very same spot Devokan would have were he still alive, she was busy writing out words into a large, deep red book. Every now and then, she would pause in her work to dip her pen into the open ink well in front of her, before returning again to her writing.

All around her lay other books, each of them carefully written out in D'ni script by her into their large white pages. They all led to Ages, each one more spectacular and abounding in wealth and riches then the next. They were the work of several months captivity.

Finally done, Yeesha carefully set aside her pen and, after first blowing lightly on the page to finish drying the ink, closed the book she had just been working on. Then standing up, she stretched her arms above her head and sighed.

Kadish would be here any moment to check on her progress and demand she provide him with another Age. At least this time she wouldn't have to listen to him berate her for not having an Age completed for him by now.

Sighing, she walked over to the far edge of the room to where a second table, slightly smaller then the one she had been working at, stood and picking up a pitcher, poured herself a glass of water. The water was old and stale but Yeesha hardly even noticed. She didn't notice much of anything now. All that she cared about was writing Ages for Kadish, especially before he grew angry at the slowness of her progress.

From above, she could hear a door slam and then the sound of feet descending on the stairwell. It was Kadish coming just as she had suspected.

The grating of a heavy lock being removed reached her ears and then Kadish himself entered the room. Yeesha didn't move.

"Well, Yeesha?" he asked, voice impatient.

Blinking once, Yeesha wordlessly motioned towards the desk and the book on top of it. Eagerness lit Kadish's face as he headed over to the desk and picked up the heavy book. Opening it, he read a few pages then looked up at her again.

"What is _this_?"

"Kadish Tolesa," she answered, still remaining immobile.

"I know the Age," he said hastily. "I wrote it. But why did you?"

"Because your Age was corrupted," Yeesha said dully.

"Kadish Tolesa held nothing of value!" shouted Kadish, flinging the book down upon the desk. "You have wasted my time."

"I didn't think your wealth was of no value..."

Her words caused Kadish's jaw to drop and, stuttering, he picked up the Age once more. He flipped through it, reading further, before finally looking up at her again.

"How?" he demanded.

"Because what was thought as truth were merely lies," she replied her voice an echo of another's long ago.

That made Kadish grin; a wicked, conniving grin that consumed his face, making it more ugly then before.

"Strange words coming from such a one as you," he said with a sneer. But before Yeesha could respond, he was searching about, demanding the linking book that would return him home once he linked to Kadish Tolesa. Yeesha found it for him in a minute and handed it over.

"I might let you have some of your privileges back after this, Yeesha. You've been very good recently and- if you keep it up- who knows how generous I might become? But first, I have to see my wealth with my own eyes and decide if it is real before I do that..." and Kadish placed his hand on the linking panel, vanishing in an instant.

No longer with anyone to hold it aloft, the red book fell to the table with a thump, landing so that some of its pages became wrinkled and creased at odd angles. Yeesha reached over and smoothed out the pages before snapping the book closed and tucking it under one arm. Then, walking up the stairs and out of the library, she headed for the nearest edge of the walkway which stretched out over the water.

Some of the area around the library had been badly effected by the earthquake that came at the time of the Fall and sections of it were now missing, crumbled away into the water below. Yeesha walked over to one of those spots and, without a second thought, threw the heavy book with as much force as she could muster into the faintly glowing lake.

-

**Translation **( speculation ( ) untranslated D'ni word)

I have reached my end. Death(ting) (milesh)es me. I see its (rahshahth). It is (hahrten)ing watching and (foles)ing watching for my (veelal) guard to falter. Its (veechtahv)s (rifeen) my (saheth).

Linking books are here, but I will not falter.

I have triumphed, won. I am here with all that I would want, desire.

Nobody can take it from me. I will die here with them. This place is secured and it will remain secured.

If these words are found (pahl) please (rihfoonemah) realize, understand I would not (kokino) leave. I did not die with nothing. I died with everything. (fitalernah) (se) of my (sahtahv)s. They belong to me and will be with me forever.

Peace.

Guildmaster Kadish


	11. Chapter 7

Break- **K'veer**

_Only death can conquer pride so strong. For the D'ni and for Yeesha, it was death that moved me to return. _

I returned to Relto, to the island in the clouds. I returned to my parents, to my dear father and mother. I returned to my home, to the only place I thought healing could be found.

-

Part 7- **Relto **

_It was a beautiful night. The kind of night that made Atrus feel young again; as young as when he'd first met Catherine. So it was whenever he returned here after a long absence. Book of D'ni_

Stepping softly out onto the lush green grass and ground vines of Relto, Atrus breathed deeply. How he loved this Age of his daughter's. It was so calm and soothing- its peace penetrating his very soul as if it was a beautiful strain of music.

_No,_ he thought, _more like a beautiful living being. One that you can't help but love._

This mystical, island Age of Yeesha's was intoxicating for Atrus. Here he could spend hours on end, hardly even moving and not realizing the amount of time passing. It was something to do with the way the Age was so complete and so finished.

Or maybe it was just how it reminded him of Yeesha.

A weary sigh escaped Atrus' lips as he crossed his arms behind his back and began to stroll through Relto.

He missed his daughter so much that it hurt to think about. He could hardly stand the thought of her being as near as the Cleft and yet as far away as the Cleft. So often he had nearly linked to D'ni in plans to head up to the surface to visit her only to be stopped by Catherine. She insisted he leave Yeesha alone saying it was her time to find her path and, until she searched out Atrus or Catherine, that their presence would only distract her from that path. One time, and one time only, did Catherine allow him to visit the Cleft and then only because Atrus had become so worried about his daughter that Catherine could no longer stand to have him about. Not that the visit had been productive. Yeesha wasn't at the Cleft and even though Atrus waited a week, she never showed up.

_Yahvo, let her be safe,_ he prayed for the hundredth time that day.

If anything ever happened to Yeesha, Atrus didn't know what he would do. She and Catherine were everything to him and without Yeesha, Atrus could never be whole.

A few stars shown high above the island, winking at Atrus as he passed below them. Also a moon, white and luminous, hung just above the visible horizon as if, at any moment, it might slip away again.

Stopping, Atrus watched the night sky, his breath leaving moisture trails in the cold air. Where in the universe was he? And where in the universe was Yeesha? Often he had tried to find different constellations in an effort to place Relto in a location he might latter be able to find, but there were never enough stars to be seen from the island. The atmosphere was too think- only allowing the brightest, most persistent stars to be seen.

With a final sigh, Atrus was about to return to the small hut and link back to Tomahna when instead he heard the sound of another person linking in.

_Who could that be?_ he wondered, turning.

A shimmering figure appeared out of the air in the direction Atrus was facing. The air around the person bubbled for a moment before the body became solid.

"Yeesha!" said Atrus surprised, recognizing the figure at once.

"Father," cried Yeesha as she rushed up to him and flung her arms tightly around his neck.

-

_Strange, searingly bright flashes seemed to dance and flicker in that darkness, accompanied by a low, threatening rumble that exploded suddenly in a great crash of sound. Book of Atrus _

It was going to rain soon on Relto. Already a massive black cloud that consumed the sky was approaching the tinny island, ready to engulf it. The air had grown increasingly still which each passing moment till at last it merely hung thick in the atmosphere, like a heavy cover, waiting for the storm to break.

Atrus was standing at one of the wide windows in the hut, staring out across the cloud covered world. Yeesha was sitting on the bare floor behind him, legs crossed under her and tears leaving wet streaks down her splotchy face. Seeing her like that reminded him so strongly of when she was a little child, of only three years, running along in Tomahna.

That day he had gone out collecting soil samples for his never ending experiments which, after a lot of sweet talking, he managed to convince Catherine to allow him to take their child along for. To Atrus that had been the highlight of his day because he adored his little girl and would have taken her everywhere with him if Catherine only had let him. Yet she was only being practical and reasonable in typically preventing him from doing that- which was just as well for Atrus found it hard to be reasonable where Yeesha was concerned. That day though, Catherine agreed to Yeesha accompanying him since it was only to be a short trip.

Atrus remembered vividly how much fun it had been hiking up small rocks, Yeesha's hand firmly clasped in his own or, when higher climbs had to be made, her small body clinging tight to his as he carried her along with him. They had stared at lizards, he had even caught one for Yeesha to look closer at and scream with giggles when it skittered away again. Yeesha even helped him by gathering small pebbles for his experiments, though he never told her over fifty were just a few too many to use! It was a perfect afternoon till Yeesha got hurt.

He had turned away for only a second- just to make sure his sample was correct- when he heard her scream in pain. How he remembered the fear which flew to his heart then- the thoughts that she might be injured, even dying, blocked all other logic from his mind. In a panic he shouted for her then, not able to tell immediately where she was, only to spot her the next moment crouching beside a boulder. She was bent over crying, covered in dirt and with her clothes torn in spots- but she was alive. Atrus had breathed a sigh of relief and walked over and bent down beside her, asking to see what was wrong. The poor child's knee had been badly skinned from falling off the boulder she was clambering all over yet nothing else was wrong with her besides that.

"Shhh, Yeesha," he said then, gently lifting her into his arms and kissing the top of her head. "It's alright...it's alright..."

He only wished he could do the same now. Cradle his daughter in his arms and assure her everything was alright now, he was there now. But Yeesha wasn't three anymore.

"Say something, Father," she pleaded, eyes filling to the brim with fresh, unshed, tears.

How he wanted to, how he wanted to do so much more then that. Atrus wanted to take away all the pain she was now feeling, write it away or bury it in the ground where she could never find it again...

For the first time in his life though, Atrus could find no words of comfort to give to his daughter.

A minute later, Yeesha looked away, her whole body trembling violently from sobs.

"I knew it," she said between ragged breaths. "You think me wicked."

Immediately, Atrus crouched down on his heels beside her and stroked her short hair lovingly. Shaking his head, he said so softly it was almost a whisper,

"Never that, Yeesha. You know me enough to realize I could never think you wicked."

"But I have failed you!" she insisted. "I did the same things as..."

Even though Yeesha didn't complete her thought, Atrus knew who she was referring to; his two sons, Sirrus and Achenar. They had broken Atrus' heart in the past when they ignored his teachings and destroyed the lives of so many. In some ways, he was certain their evil deeds effected Yeesha and the decisions that she made in relation to how her parents would see her after she made them. He never truly thought about it till now but Atrus couldn't doubt that he was right.

"No you didn't," he said with a smile. "You have made your mother and I so proud, Yeesha. So proud! And I know the Maker has set great things in place for you- and you will perform them all. Trust in the Maker, Yeesha, then you will see what I do when I look at you."

Turning her head, Yeesha focused her red-rimmed eyes on him in wonder.

"I thought you did not believe in the Maker."

_And I didn't for a long time,_ he thought Atrus, remembering a journal entry he once wrote, months after Yeesha had left on her journey to the Cleft.

_I am not able to understand, only to understand more. The picture that I wish to examine is not static, it is growing and living. Even as I understand how the hinges of a door allow me to open it, I find that it leads to a room even larger than the first. But I think perhaps that is part of wisdom. Knowing that I cannot know all, understanding that I cannot understand all. If the Maker's creation was understandable would I not find the Maker something less than great, would I not consider myself equal with the Maker? It is a tribute then to His greatness when I find myself more confused even at the very instant that I have gained insight. Personal Journal Excerpt _

"I found that, through the very Art I have been taught, He was revealing Himself to me. And that to try and ignore Him when He was so clearly shown, would be a great folly."

Outside the rain had begun to fall. Its musical sound could be heard as it beat against the roof and spilled off of it onto the ground. One loud thunderclap rumbled deeply causing the small island to vibrate at the noise.

_Atrus, what do you see?_ asked the long familiar voice.

_I see rain, Grandmother. I see my only daughter is distraught._

_Good. Now, what can you do? What would I have done?_

Ti'ana... Anna and rain. To her rain was something magical, something healing.

Grinning like a small boy as the idea overtook him, Atrus pulled Yeesha to her feet and led her to the door. Then, stepping outside himself, he lifted his face to the sky and spread his arms out, allowing the cool water to stream down his face and body, soaking him. It felt glorious and every shower was just like his first surprising experience, never growing old.

Checking, Atrus saw Yeesha also outside in the rain now, her hair plastered to her head and clothes stuck to her like another skin. She was dancing, wild and free, the cares being lifted from her with each spin. Twirling to a stop, she doubled over with laughter until finally sinking to her knees, mouth remaining in a broad smile.

"Rain!" she shouted to the dark sky. "Rain!"


	12. Chapter 8

Break- **K'veer**

So I worked to find my healing. With the aid of my father, the love of my mother and much time spent in the warmth of many Ages- I attempted to close the wound which was cut deep into my soul.

I still try...

The time came, though, when I might no longer stay with my parents or my friends. The city called to me and I knew I must return to its walls.

_Have you heard of the city? The deep city, the ancient Uru? Where there was power to write worlds. For thousands of years the city lived, lived beneath the surface._

_-_

Part 8- **D'ni**

_In the streets of the city the mist coiled on the cold stone of ancient cobbles like something living. Yet nothing lived there now; only the mosses and fungi that grew from ever niche and cranny. Book of D'ni_

Crumbled walls and broken bits of stone spilled over onto the streets, giving off an air of being cluttered. Large sections of walkways had gashes in them or were uneven from massive upheavals from within the living rock beneath. Once beautiful mosaics laid into the streets were smashed and destroyed and in sections edges of the roads and the intricately fashioned iron handrails were lost to the waters.

The streets of this once great city were deathly silent. Few walked about D'ni anymore, only shadows and ghosts of the past, remembering how things once were. Those and the city's own dreams, which lingered about the edges. For D'ni slept, waiting to be awakened, and only needing one to revive it.

In the great, permeating silence, Yeesha's booted footsteps sounded more akin to thunderclaps then what they really were. Of course, things never were as they seemed in D'ni.

Turning down another street, Yeesha made her way down into the J'Taeri district.

_J'Taeri , it transpired, had been a Guild district, and this something of an anomaly in that the families who had once stayed there were not from the locality, but drafted in to oversee Guild activities in the lower districts. Book of Atrus_

Only the wealthy lived here, many of them Guildmasters or other highly thought of Guild members. The houses and buildings here were rich and spoke of wealth and power through their very design. Elaborate and uniquely fashioned, each one was slightly different from the next.

Walking down through the district to reach the dock where her boat was moored, Yeesha allowed her mind to wander at will.

It was almost ironic that this part of the city was what Atrus was shown first when he was brought to D'ni by Gehn. This part which housed the members of D'ni who gained the most from the burden of the Least. They were the ones who built the most off of the backs of the Least, even the ones who wrote the Ages where the Least originated from.

Stopping and staring at one particularly elaborate house, one made of the special jet black stone streaked with red, Yeesha couldn't help but shake her head in sorrow. The D'ni held so much power and wealth yet they never noticed the cries of the Bahro, the ones they took everything from. In the end then, it was justice that the D'ni city fell to ruin, that the wealth and power was stripped from them just as they had stripped it from so many others.

Three years now had she seen the black center of the D'ni empire. For three years now she delved deep into the past and the secrets of the D'ni and uncovered it all. She had heard the cries of the Bahro and seen the atrocities performed on them. Now she would do something about it.

Turning away from the large house, Yeesha continued her walk down to the harbor. Along the sides of the streets, old, withered trunks of trees stood in front of houses.

They were dead, just as her Tree was dead. It was nothing but an empty hull, devoid of life. Yet that tree would grow again and life would once more fill that hull and green leaves cover the bare branches.

_There is just so much more work for me to do first,_ she thought, overwhelmed by the steps that needed to be carried out before anything else could begin.

But she would do it because it was her path.

-

Yeesha felt her arms grow stiff the moment she released the oars of the small boat. On some days the distance from Ae'Gura seemed nothing while on other days it stretched into infinity.

_Today is one of those days._

With what strength she had left, Yeesha pulled herself up from the boat onto the small landing platform where it was easiest to dock. Tying the rope that was attached to the boat securely around a poll, Yeesha stood upright and stretched her arms above her head, trying to loosen them. It didn't do much good for her arms but her back felt better for the effort.

Giving up, she picked up her pack from where she had thrown it on the dock and headed for the door to K'veer.

"Home sweet home," she mumbled, pulling the heavy door open with a grunt.

K'veer was a remarkable building, its walls and stories climbing up to the very top of its stalagmite shaped base. Each massive room was full of history, the study where Gehn had worked, the room Atrus was confined to, the Book Room where Ader Jamat once rested and where Anna was refused the right to link, and even the room where Aitrus had purposely linked to his death, saving his family from the madman. The walls practically vibrated with the past.

Walking into her study, Yeesha couldn't help groaning at the mess before her. Books, papers, empty and full inkwells and pens lay scattered about- mostly all over her desk. She was going to have to clear it off before she could work on any other projects.

"I should have done this before," she said, dropping her bag on the ground and beginning to grab papers and put them into piles. Not orderly piles but she would have to work on that part later.

She had just piled five large Age books on top of each other and was struggling to lift them, when another voice said,

"Here, let me help you with that," and the weight was lessened.

Yeesha peered cautiously over her stack at the newcomer, wondering who it was that had come unannounced to K'veer.

"Anna!" she cried, almost dropping the books in surprise and delight at seeing her old friend.

"Careful!" was all Anna said in response, reaching out a hand again to steady the pile.

Hastily, Yeesha placed the books on her desk again and embraced her friend. Then, letting go, she stepped back and looked up into Anna's face. She was still just as pretty as she had always been, with her unconscious grace and warmth. There were a few more lines about her eyes and mouth but not enough to be counted as a deterrence and certainly after all these years, they couldn't be unjustified in being there.

_I'm sure I look older too,_ she thought with a smile.

"I'm so glad you're here!" she said, grin widening. "How long has it been since I last saw you?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. I think close to at least four years, we talked a little after you came back to stay with your parents, but I haven't seen you since."

"I hadn't realized it was that long...time gets away from me, I suppose."

"Ha! Yes, for you it always has!"

Acknowledging the jest, Yeesha laughed too then motioned for Anna to sit, asking at the same time,

"And how are things going? You look wonderful- just like always."

"Things are doing fine, thank you. I've gotten married-"

"To who!" interrupted Yeesha, thrilled by the news.

"His name is Corfan. You might remember him from when we were children- he used to follow us around and spy on us with the other little boys."

Wrinkling her nose at the memory, Yeesha laughed again.

"You mean those nasty little boys who always thought we were up to something?"

"Yes, one of _those_," replied Anna. "But he's not like that anymore, he's grown up and is everything I could want him to be."

"I'm happy to hear that. You seem extremely happy and I wish you both the best of luck. I only wish I might have been there."

"We tried to find you, but every time we came you were never around," said Anna, her eyes instantly full of worry. "I even left you a note once."

"No, no! I didn't mean it like that- I'm certain you tried to contact me, though as you can see, any note you might have left would be lost in one of these piles here."

"I noticed. What about you though, no one has heard from you in so long, what have you been up to?"

Spreading her arms and indicating the entire room, Yeesha answered,

"Working. All of this you can see I have been working on. Nothing has changed."

Anna glanced about the room for a minute then, turning again to face Yeesha, she cocked her head to one side.

"No, Yeesha, thing have changed. _You _have changed." Then Anna leaned forward and touched Yeesha's forehead gently, as if hypnotized. "Such as these marks, I've never seen them before... their beautiful... and somehow they suit you now when they wouldn't have before."

_They **wouldn't **have before, _thought Yeesha. _They are the mark of the Desert Bird...what I have become._

"Thank you," Yeesha said softly.

For a second more, Anna stared into her eyes, a new light shining in them. Yeesha knew instantly that Anna's view was changing regarding herself- just like others had before Anna.

"I'm sorry," said Anna abruptly, averting her eyes. "I should stop trying to avoid all of this..."

"Avoid what?" asked Yeesha, puzzled.

"What I was sent here to tell you. Your mother would have come herself but she was too distraught and looked too tired and then there was all the preparations she was having to work on, so I volunteered to come instead and..."

"Anna! Stop rambling and tell me what it is!" Yeesha almost shouted.

_Oh Yahvo, what it is?_

She didn't want to admit it but deep in her heart she knew something terrible had happened. She had never seen Anna try so hard to avoid talking to her in all her life. Anna could usually tell her anything, so for her to stumble about and ramble on over nothing filled her heart with fear.

Anna sighed and looked solemnly at her.

"It's your father, Yeesha. He...he died yesterday."

Her entire body went numb at Anna's words the only sensation coming from her fingertips, which tingled slightly. Her father. Not her father. Never her father!

"No," she whispered, shaking her head stubbornly. "No, that can't be."

"I'm so sorry, Yeesha, I know how close you two were. It came as a shock to everyone."

"I don't believe it," she insisted.

"No one else thought that could happen either," sympathized Anna. "We all believed he was healthy, the Healers thought he was too."

But Yeesha wasn't listening, her thoughts were blocking out all of Anna's words. She knew her father couldn't be dead. He was too strong and healthy to have died at such a young age!

_No, _she insisted, _he's not dead._

Anna was still talking.

"It happened so suddenly. He had been sleeping in his study the Healers said when it happened. He didn't feel a thing."

Yet Yeesha was already linking to Tomahna by the time those words reached her.


	13. Chapter 9

Break- **K'veer **

_Now I understand. Endings and beginnings are within the Fissure, that Riven cleft of stars that acts as both wall and a bridge. And though I am unable to understand how, the very flow of stars that brought my Myst book into worthy hands I am sure served as a safe passage home for my friend. The Age of Riven is closed forever, but the people of Riven are free. And now I am at rest, understanding that in Books, and Ages, and life the ending can never truly be written. Riven_

Perhaps my father, through those words, saw more then I ever could. He understood how life flowed, he could see it while I never comprehended what was before me. Never even what could be...

My father's ending was written that day, though. Maybe not who he was, maybe not his knowledge and wisdom and spirit...those things live on with the Maker and with me. But his body could no longer hold them- its ending was written. His journey was complete.

-

Part 9- **Releeshahn**

The funeral was finally complete.

Staring down at the freshly covered grave, Yeesha allowed the tears to fall freely down her cheeks. She couldn't before, not with the other D'ni people watching her, hawklike, waiting to see how she would react. Because of that she had been forced to remain strong all through the funeral, standing beside her mother, hand-in-hand, watching as they lowered his body into the ground.

_In Releeshahn,_ she thought, feeling the bitterness creep up again.

She had wanted to burry him at the Cleft or, at least, in Myst beside his grandmother, Anna's grave. That was where he truly would have wanted to be laid to rest, she was certain of it. No matter how much he cared for the D'ni people and loved Releeshahn, he never would have wanted to be buried here. He would have chosen instead the Cleft or Myst, possibly even Tomahna, but never on Releeshahn.

Yet, ultimately, it had been Catherine's choice and she had decided on this spot. And it was a beautiful location, overlooking the prettiest part of Releeshahn's forests and rivers. Just Yeesha wished it might have been otherwise.

Sighing, she bent down and scooped up a handful of the upturned earth, rubbing it between her fingers and breathing deep of the new earth smell.

The service had been moving. Each of Atrus' closest friends had come forward to give a speech about him, remembering funny times they had experienced, hard moments they shared, his wisdom, his kindness, his strength and even his knowledge. Every story brought a new memory to Yeesha's mind until at last it was all she could do to stand there and not turn away, fleeing into the surrounding woods. Then at last, the entire thing was done, his body in the ground and the crowds dispersing.

Anna had taken Catherine home for Yeesha. She must have been able to sense that Yeesha wanted some time to herself for, without a word, she took Catherine's arm leading her away, back to the city where the linking book to Tomahna was kept.

_Dear Anna,_ thought Yeesha, _what would I ever do without her now?_

She had been indispensable for Yeesha and Catherine over the past few days. Leaving her own home and husband, she was constantly with them at Tomahna; dealing with visitors and letters of condolence, cleaning and cooking and always willing to bring them anything or help with anything she could. Doing everything they couldn't bring themselves to.

The dirt had now all trickled from between her fingers leaving only a rich, dark stain on her hands. Brushing them off, Yeesha stood slowly to her feet and stared down. The dark, blank earth which spilled over onto the grass around the grave, stared somberly back up at her.

"I love you, Father," she choked out, then turned and walked away.

-

Catherine was waiting for her at the library steps. She was sitting on a carved, wooden bench, head bowed, hands placed on her lap. Her hair had slid down from behind her shoulder, obscuring her face. Grey streaked her once raven's black hair and often she didn't even bother to pull it back in a loose knot or braid, but instead left it wild; Catherine couldn't find the power to do many of the things she used to any more. Just as, instead of walking like she used to, straight backed and proud, her shoulders hunched over more often and her face turned easier to the ground then directly ahead. Since Atrus' death Catherine had grown almost eighty years older.

Surprised that she was still there, Yeesha paused for a moment before walking over and sitting on the bench beside her mother.

Catherine looked up and smiled weakly at her, eyes still red from crying.

"I have something for you," she said, handing over a package Yeesha hadn't noticed before.

Yeesha accepted the brown parcel, asking, "What is it?"

"Just open it."

Slipping the thin twine off the corners, Yeesha reached inside the paper and pulled out two thin books. The Age of Relto and a black leather journal.

"What?" she said, feeling her face distort in confusion.

"I want you to have these," started Catherine, stopping once between to gulp down tears. "Just as Atrus would have. I know you gave us Relto but...but I think you need it more now. Or will need it mor...more then I do. It's a beautiful Age and I see so many things in st-store for it, just no-not with me.

"And this," she continued, placing a hand on the black journal, "was your father's. I think most of all he would have...would have wanted you to see and have this."

Looking down again, Yeesha stroked the leather cover lovingly. Her father's journal, how she remembered seeing him every night writing in it, updating it and talking about his day and any thoughts he had. He had even encouraged her to do the same, explaining the virtues of using it to release your feelings and better help you to understand your emotions.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at her mother.

Catherine smiled back and kissed her on her head, stroking her hair for a minute before standing up and walking away without another word. She then headed into the library and was lost to sight behind the wooden doors.

Even after her mother was gone, Yeesha continued to sit, hands still rubbing the journal. Then, suddenly, she flipped it open to a random page and began reading.

_Every day I watch as Yeesha grows older and I cannot fully express my delight in seeing her evolve. I have watched her grow from a tiny infant to the amazing child I see before me now. She is quick and intuitive and I am amazed by her imagination- thinking of ideas I myself have not considered! Each day she is around me is a joy and a treasure._

_I cannot deny that I miss my two sons or say that, because of Yeesha, the pain I feel when I think of them is not there. But I can say how her smile and her laughter help heal the wounds inflicted by them. Yeesha cannot replace what is lost but her presence is a delight in and of itself. _

_I have never been happier or more at peace in all my life._

Tears splashed once again down Yeesha's face, leaving tinny watermarks on the pages and blurring the ink. Realizing the damage she was causing, Yeesha quickly moved the book away and tried to dry her face but the tears continued to fall uncontrollably. At last she gave up and buried her face in her arms sobbing till, even when no more tears would come, her sobs wouldn't cease. And then, when they finally did, she curled up on the bench in a ball, clutching the book tight to her chest, eyes fixed unseeing on the world before her.


	14. Chapter 10

Break- **K'veer**

_Anna nodded, then stood, wiping her hands against her shirt. "Here," she said. "We'll begin here again." Book of Ti'ana_

Just like my great-grandmother, after the loss of her husband and all she loved, began again, so too did I. Only my beginning was after the death of Atrus and not at the Cleft, but at the city.

So I began. Returning to my work, allowing it to consume me and sweep me away from the past.

I wrote, I molded, I fashioned and I created...then I taught. I taught you and others about the Bahro, the unseen ones who hid themselves along the edges of the ruin of D'ni. I taught of the journey, of the tapestry, of the great Uru...

And my Tree began to grow...

_The water is flowing in from the desert. The storm is coming._

The storm came, strong and hard and life-giving. A storm to make Ti'ana dance with pleasure. And the roots of the Tree absorbed it and the Tree sprouted new leaves and once again was whole.

But that was not the end.

-

Part 10- **Uru**

Lights were flickering from across the water, far away in D'ni. They were bright and strong and covered the entire rock island. Leaning on the railing at K'veer, Yeesha watched them, a content smile on her face.

People were in Ae'Gura now- not many of them but their numbers were increasing daily. They wanted to learn everything she could teach them about the D'ni and the past. They were persistent and refused to give up, even when things grew difficult. And each day another of the Bahro returned to the city because of their efforts. The circle was complete.

_-A seabird calls._

_The unknowing one stands at the rail._

_Peace, the circle closed._

_The last word written.- Book of D'ni _

Frowning slightly, Yeesha linked her hands together in frustration. Why did she have to think of that now? Why, when only joy should be on her mind, did painful thoughts plague her again? There was only misery for her in those words. All memories of her father brought pain these days. Even something as small as a prophecy- harmless on its own- drew tears with each line. And then, when she could hear his voice inside her mind...

Sighing, Yeesha moved away from the balcony and the view of the thriving city. She was glad for the success and how the Tree grew again but she could no longer watch it tonight.

Peace. Yes finally there was peace in D'ni. Old ghosts which whispered of wrongs performed on them and on others were now silenced, their stories heard, wrongs righted. And the circle was closed. By the returning of the Bahro to D'ni the final edge of the circle was connected to the beginning.

But the last word written?

_No, _thought Yeesha, _not written yet._

Slowly she traveled down the hallways of K'veer, heading down all the way to the lowest level where the stones were green and damp and spoke of being around long before many of the other levels of K'veer were added. Here at this level was the room where Gehn once imprisoned Atrus and left him with the Riven book. It was here that Atrus spent years after the betrayal of his sons, alone with only the Riven book and the hope of one day being rescued to keep him company. And it was here that Atrus and the others first broke through back into the city, hoping to restore it.

Stepping inside the room, Yeesha felt the hairs at the back of her neck rise. That always happened in this room...there was just something about it.

_The stone here was not the lavatic black used elsewhere in the house, but a dull metallic gray carved with intricate patterns, like lacework, great bulbous pillars holding up the massive arch of the roof. Book of Atrus_

And in one corner, pushed up against the wall, stood a desk made of dark wood, so deep and rich it almost blended in with the shadows.

Yeesha strode forward and, after first running her hands along the edges of the wood, enjoy the complete aesthetic pleasure of it, she sat down and pulled a sheet of paper towards her. Dipping her pen in the ink well, she paused for a moment, contemplating what she wished to say, then bent over and began to write.

_Father,_

_I know you can not hear me, yet I must write to you. In my heart you will hear my voice, the voice of your desert bird._

_Words written to me, for me, and of me. Who would believe that the tree would die, so that I could grow it again? You always did. Your desert bird was so much more and I understand you now. You knew, though I did not._

_Now I know. I know much father. I have learned of the death. I am powerful father. I have seen new life, and brought it forth myself. And I go now to become the grower. If only you could see. Perhaps you do. _

_3:118 _

_2:45-55_

_I am Yeesha._

_I am the Grower._

_Thank you father._

_Your burden is lifted._


	15. Epilogue and Dedication

**Epilogue**

_An ending has been written?_

You have seen it all... heard the tale of Yeesha and her darkness. You listened as the unthinkable came to light, wept when the pride overtook and destroyed, then rejoiced in the returning, in the understanding. Is now the tale complete?

The Tree is growing, the water streams in from the desert and the storm has broken, pouring out onto the desert, bringing it life. Once more the deep city of the D'ni breathes...can you hear it?

_Uru again_.

Life does not travel as we believe or want it to. The Maker, the Writer, the Journey...the Path. All, all of these directs us, forms us and fashions us until at last our purpose is complete. At times this purpose is not what we would will it...for Ti'ana to cause the death of D'ni, for Gehn to restore its pride, for Atrus to carry its burden, for Catherine to dream its dreams, and for me...

...for me to revive it.

It moves, this purpose, in a circle. Endings tying to beginnings, stirring up new life as it moves on. Continuing on. Do you see how this circle flows, embracing all those within it?

Yes, I think you do.

The Tree has grown, it is tall and strong, but is the purpose of the Grower complete?

I cannot say. The Maker's ways and the Journey are by far greater then anything I can ever understand or hope to understand. So I close my story knowing that perhaps...

_Perhaps the ending has not yet been written._

_-_

**Dedication**

To Rand and Robyn Miller for first creating the never-ending worlds of Myst and D'ni.

To the teams at Cyan and Ubi Soft for their work to attain excellence in all the games.

To Jack Wall and Tim Larkin whose inspiring music helped me through this!  
To all the people at MystCommunity, D'ni Desk Reference, Uru Obsession, Guild of Greeters, and D'ni Pedia Writer's Ring for their wonderful archives, theories, explanations, and conversations about the Myst series and D'ni universe.

And most of all to the members of the D'ni Linguistic Fellowship for their help in the D'ni translations. Have a cookie everyone!

Finally to:

Capella- for showing me the "hacked" Bahroglyphs. The story would have been different if not for that!

Fleet Admiral Connor Grey- for posting so much and encouraging me, even without having played all the games!

Linguist Apprentice, Greg and Deg- for also commenting on the story. It made all the difference guys!


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